Earth Overshoot Day 2023

You may have seen reports about Earth Overshoot Day.  This year, 2023, August 3 is calculated as our earth overshoot day.  So what actually is it?

Earth Overshoot Day is the date each year when humanity has used up the amount of natural resources that the Earth could regenerate in any given year. It marks the point at which we have consumed more resources and produced more waste than the planet can sustainably provide and absorb. So put simply, in about 7 months we have used the same amount of resources the earth can recycle in 12 months.

In the 1970's overshoot day was late December and has since then been creeping towards August. The 1980's saw some big year on year jumps. The date has been sitting around early August since 2011, with a bit of an anomaly in 2020 (thank you COVID) where it was 16th August.

We won't go into the calculation in great detail but if you are interested to find out more information check out the Overshoot Website.

What it also means is that we need to consume less.

Do we really need that new iPhone or TV? If we do then please make sure you recycle the old ones so the components can be reused rather than dug out of the ground. Think about what that new outfit is made of, avoid polyester if you can. Choose fabrics that are sustainable.  Try to choose products that are made locally.  Choose reusable rather than disposable. 

Imagine the impact if every single person made just one of these choices!