Global Footprint Network

Overshoot is eroding us. But without a clear definition of the problem, meaningful responses remain elusive. As we face a future shaped by escalating climate change and growing competition over resources, what exactly is holding back effective action? Some argue that the problem is that climate science is still misunderstood. Others believe people simply aren’t aware of the solutions. Still others claim the real issue is human nature – too much greed, not enough empathy. Below is our take.  👇

What if the real environmental story isn’t about what we throw away, but what we might run out of? As Mathis Wackernagel explains, the real risk isn’t waste, it’s resource insecurity. And yet, most countries still treat #EcologicalOvershoot as a side issue rather than an economic reality. “Everyone thinks they’re a special case.” But in a world of finite resources, no one is. At Global Footprint Network, this work continues to challenge how we measure progress and how we prepare for the future. Reda more here. 👇 https://lnkd.in/eG3Sjyqj

Thank you, Luc Bas and Steven Vermeulen, for organizing this sweet event in Brussels. So many great questions!

Fertile soil, clean water, and clean air are necessary to provide humanity with the food and physical health we require to thrive. Vibrant natural ecosystems such as oceans and forests are indispensable to keep our planet livable, for example, by regulating the climate and absorbing carbon emissions. They also help keep humans psychologically and spiritually-grounded. Given the massive overuse of the planet’s biological resources, our economies now are limited by the availability of Earth’s biocapacity. To ensure we have a healthy planet that can support us now and in the future, requires reducing human demand and maintaining our planet’s life-support system. The good news is, solutions already exist to boost the health of our ecosystems, and in turn, the planet’s capacity to regenerate biological resources. ... #EarthDay #MotherEarthDay #EndOvershoot https://lnkd.in/ez2xHGK

Our Ecological Footprint accounts show that humanity currently demands 78% more from our planet than its ecosystems can regenerate. But to secure 85% of the world’s #biodiversity, requires humanity not to use more than half of the Earth, according to the late Harvard biologist E.O. Wilson. In other words, human demand now exceeds 3-fold a rate that is compatible with lasting conservation, including stabilizing our climate. 👇 https://lnkd.in/eb4jH8B4 #EarthDay #EndOvershoot

How confident are you that humanity’s Ecological Footprint can be brought in balance with Earth’s capacity to regenerate biological resources? In this instance, I try to avoid thinking about probability – rather I focus on possibility. Is it possible to get out of ecological overshoot by design and not by disaster? The answer is a resounding yes. It is possible if enough people want to. It seems to me, however, that too few of us are convinced that we have personal “skin in the game” – that this context truly matters to our own lives. Fortunately, those high-schoolers boycotting school on Fridays around the world show us the way: they know that climate action is essential for their own ability to choose the life they want to live. They accuse the older generation for having failed them for a reason: too many decision makers – national and regional policy, large scale investments, urban planning – believe indeed that sustainability is merely a noble cause, not a necessary condition for prosperity. I’m afraid they are betting on the wrong horse. I predict that their blindness is undercutting their own chances at being successful. This book explains why. 👇 https://lnkd.in/ebM3zjcs

The US is in overshoot today! If all 8 billion+ of us consumed at the level of the average resident of the United States, we’d need 5.1 Earths. For the whole planet, the number is 1.8. Other countries that overshoot in March are: Kuwait, Mongolia, Canada, UAE, Bahrain all between 3-11 March. Australia, Denmark, Lithuania, Oman, Russian Federation, Saudi Arabia are between 16-31 March. A country’s #overshootday marks the date when #EarthOvershootDay would fall if all of humanity consumed at the same level as the people in that country. https://lnkd.in/eHRkZ-Wz

The global effort for sustainability will be won, or lost, in the world’s cities, where 70 to 80% of the world’s population is expected to live by 2050. If we reduce our Footprint from driving by 50% around the world and assume one-third of car miles are replaced by public transportation and the rest by biking and walking, #EarthOvershootDay would move back 13 days. #MoveTheDate 👇 https://lnkd.in/eNF-8teQ

From an economic perspective, overshoot is a clear example of a market failure. Such failures hurt everyone. It poses a direct threat to overusers, who depend on large volumes of underpriced resource inputs that become increasingly scarce as the market failure persists. If uncorrected, such market failures stimulate overuse which then leads to disruptions or economic shocks. The market failure also represents an economic loss for biocapacity providers, who are not adequately compensated. For overshoot to end by design, rather than by disaster, this market failure must be corrected. https://lnkd.in/esghN866