Earth Overshoot Day 2013

August 20 2013

Overview
What is Earth Overshoot Day?
August 20 is Earth Overshoot Day 2013, marking
the date when humanity exhausted natures
budget for the year. We are now operating in
overdraft. For the rest of the year, we will maintain
our ecological deficit by drawing down local
resource stocks and accumulating carbon dioxide
in the atmosphere.

Table of Contents
Overview

World Footprint

Footprint for Nations

Competitiveness 2.0

Our Human Development Initiative

Footprint for Finance

Footprint for Cities

Footprint for Business

Carbon Footprint

The Footprint and Biodiversity

Personal Footprint

Frequently Asked Questions

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Jordan Beard

Footprint for Nations

Competitiveness 2.0

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Jordan Beard

World Footprint
Aug 20 2013

The Cost of Overspending

Throughout most of history, humanity has used natures
resources to build cities and roads, to provide food and
create products, and to absorb our carbon dioxide at a rate
that was well within Earths budget. But in the mid-1970s,
we crossed a critical threshold: Human consumption began
outstripping what the planet could reproduce. According to
Global Footprint Networks calculations, our demand for
renewable ecological resources and the services they provide
is now equivalent to that of more than 1.5 Earths. The data
shows us on track to require the resources of two planets well
before mid-century.

What are the Long-Term Effects?

The fact that we are using, or spending, our natural
capital faster than it can replenish is similar to having
expenditures that continuously exceed income. In planetary
terms, the costs of our ecological overspending are
becoming more evident by the day. Climate changea
result of greenhouse gases being emitted faster than they can
be absorbed by forests and oceansis the most obvious and

Its not possible to determine with 100 percent

arguably pressing result. But there are othersshrinking

accuracy the day we bust our ecological budget.

forests, species loss, fisheries collapse, higher commodity

Adjustments of the date that we go into overshoot

prices and civil unrest, to name a few. The environmental

are due to revised calculations, not ecological

and economic crises we are experiencing are symptoms of

advances on the part of humanity. Based on current

looming catastrophe. Humanity is simply using more than

assumptions, Global Footprint Network data now

what the planet can provide. Earth Overshoot Day is an

suggests that since 2001, Earth Overshoot Day has

estimate, not an exact date.

been moving.

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Jordan Beard

Our Human Development Initiative

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Jordan Beard

Footprint for Finance

Footprint for Cities

1| P a g e

Jordan Beard

Footprint for Business

1| P a g e

Jordan Beard

Carbon Footprint
The Footprint and Biodiversity

1| P a g e

Jordan Beard

Personal Footprint

1| P a g e

Jordan Beard

Frequently Asked Questions

http://www.footprintnetwork.org/en/index.php/GFN/page/earth_overshoot_day/

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Jordan Beard