Humanity is depleting all the resources that the Earth is capable of regenerating in one year
Humanity has exhausted all the resources that the Earth is capable of regenerating in one year, even though there are still more than four months left until the end of 2020. This means that, globally, we have caught more fish, cut down more trees and cultivated more land than nature can provide in a year. As for our greenhouse gas emissions, they have been greater than our oceans and forests can absorb. In other words, from today onwards, humanity lives on credit for the rest of the year, with consequences for future generations.
The day of the earth's overcapacity shows that the annual demand on natural resources permanently exceeds the planet's capacity to regenerate them. According to the expert network Footprint Network, which calculates in order to illustrate how the expanding world population is consuming faster and faster on a limited planet, the population has consumed as if it had more than one and a half planets, whereas in 2019 the earliest date for establishing this day since records are available was 1.7 planets.
In this line, the authors of the report warn that "we are depleting our natural capital, which compromises the future security of humanity's resources. The costs of this global ecological overspend are becoming increasingly evident in the form of deforestation, soil erosion, loss of biodiversity or accumulation of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere," leading to more frequent extreme weather events caused by climate change, says Mathis Wackernagel, co-inventor of Ecological Footprint accounting and founder of Global Footprint Network, in the statement.
The slowdown in economic and industrial activity caused by the coronavirus crisis helped natural resources to last a little longer. Efforts to respond to COVID-19 have shown that it is possible to change trends in ecological resource consumption in a short period of time. As we emerge from the public health crisis and focus on rebuilding our economies and our lives, strategies based on the security of ecological resources and the prosperity of a planet are much more likely to generate the positive results that governments seek.
"We cannot live as if we have more than one planet at our disposal. We are living at the expense of the natural resources of future generations. How long can we continue to push the limits of the planet," declared the World Wildlife Fund (WWF). At the current rate of consumption of one US citizen, five planets would be needed to meet the demand for resources. In the case of Spain, the demand for resources is equivalent to almost three times what this country produces, a figure that contrasts with that of the French, who require 1.9 times their nation's natural resources, though considerably less than that of Japan, whose population consumes 7.7 times what its territory produces, or Italy, 4.7 times, and Switzerland, 4.6.
The problem that arises for future generations is resource depletion, environmental degradation and climate change, which pose fundamental threats to human security. Individually or in combination with other factors, they can destabilise lifestyles, adversely affect ecosystems and undermine peace and development. Violent conflict can emerge where local and national institutions lack the capacity to resolve disputes that may result from resource degradation or depletion. As population and economic growth increase, so will the demand for scarce resources and the potential for conflict. It is therefore crucial how to avoid conflicts over natural resources, and how to contain and defuse conflicts once they exist.
A reformulation of food consumption is needed, as globally one third is wasted every year, the equivalent of 300 million tons of food scraps that end up in the rubbish, according to data from the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP). Similarly, the food system on which the whole world depends causes 80% of the deforestation that not only leads to the loss of species and biodiversity, but also to an excessive demand for certain products.
For example, it takes up to 2,400 litres of water to make a meat burger. It takes up to 15,000 litres of water to produce a garment. Masks and protective equipment include hospital and private use models, but almost all of them share the condition of being manufactured with non-degradable materials -plastics and similars-, which have been accumulating on coasts and seabeds, thus increasing concern about their environmental impact.
However, these consequences can still be reversed with global actions that modify production, consumption and waste patterns, in order to achieve a green economy based on natural processes. While the past does not necessarily determine our future, our current choices do. "The transformation to a sustainable and carbon-neutral world will be successful if we apply humanity's greatest strengths: foresight, innovation and mutual care," says Overshoot Day. "The good news is that this transformation is not only technologically possible, it is also economically beneficial and our best chance for a prosperous future.