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Earth overshoot day is today: earlier than it’s ever been

news release

Today (29 July) marks the date that all of earth’s natural resources will be used up for the year – overshooting what can be replenished by more than five months. The day keeps creeping earlier in the year – in 2019 overshoot day is the earliest it’s ever fallen.

Friends of the Earth warns that we must “think again about how we consume” as the campaigning group outlines the solutions needed to delay this date. Last year it fell on 1 August and the year before on 3 August. More information on how this date is calculated comes from the Global Footprint Network 

Aaron Kiely, Friends of the Earth climate campaigner, said:

“Earth’s resources are finite, and we are in a climate emergency. Today is a warning about how wrong we are currently getting things because this isn’t an overdraft we can dip into and pay back. We know what the solutions are so it’s time to be hopeful and bold and grab the opportunity to make a positive difference while we still can.”

Friends of the Earth implores the UK government to adopt a Climate Action Plan by 2020, and:

  • Aim for 100% clean energy
  • Invest in green and affordable transport
  • Double tree cover to tackle climate change and support nature
  • Ban fracking and stop using dirty fuels
  • Fund huge scale insulation and eco-heating schemes
  • Stop backing harmful infrastructure – like airport expansion
  • Pay our fair share to help vulnerable countries

Aaron Kiely concluded:

“We have to think again about how we consume. Large-scale political intervention is desperately needed, but as individuals there’s things we can do: stop buying what we just don’t need, make things last, insulate our homes, and collectively stop digging ourselves into ecological debt.

“We need this date to become 31 December because we only have one planet and we are gobbling up what can be replaced too quickly, it’s why we need to #movethedate and not overshoot the resources earth gives us.”


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