Earth Overshoot Day, or: What is your ecological footprint?

This year, 2024, Earth Overshoot Day has been calculated for August 1.

Earth Overshoot Day is the day on which we humans have used up all ‘the sustainable amount of biological resources generated on earth’ (wikipedia):

Earth Overshoot Day (EOD) is the calculated illustrative calendar date on which humanity’s resource consumption for the year exceeds Earth’s capacity to regenerate those resources that year. In 2024, it falls on August 1st. The term “overshoot” represents the level by which human population’s demand overshoots the sustainable amount of biological resources regenerated on Earth. When viewed through an economic perspective, the annual Earth Overshoot Day represents the day by which the planet’s annual regenerative budget is spent, and humanity enters environmental deficit spending.

How the Earth Overshoot Day 2024 Was Calculated – Earth Overshoot Day (footprintnetwork.org)

Take the interactive quiz to find out your own ecological footprint.

Ecological Footprint Calculator

Also a great class activity, loads of basic vocabulary, and a lot to share about issues of daily life and routines, climate change and what we as individuals can do.

Update note August 2024

Overshoot Quiz – Earth Overshoot Day (footprintnetwork.org) This quiz is a great supplement to the one above. In one group, we first calculated our own footprint and afterwards went to the quiz from the footprintnetwork.org. It could also work well the other way around (maybe even better) as the second quiz is knowledge based and informative.

Topics for further discussion are questions about the fuel industry and its responsibility – and liability – concerning climate change. Is there another ‘Big Tabacco case’ on the horizon? The issue of cars always comes up in this connection. I have experienced, at least in German English classes, if you have a bad day and don’t know what to do in your class, bring up cars – always works 😉

What is the contribution of industrial agriculture, the food industry and our meat consumption? Is veganism a solution or is responsible animal husbandry necessary for the creation of fertile soil that is essential for future food production? (Keyword: Regenerative Agriculture; see Mark Hyman, The Pegan Diet, chapter 9 “Eat like a Regenetarian”, pp. 70-76, Kindle edition)

We also spoke about deforestation in more detail. The word ‘deforestation’ is fairly new, the process of chopping down trees to clear land for various human purposes is not. The History of Deforestation: The Past and Origins – Climate Transform

Very impressive are the images you find here (which you might not if you don’t have a subscription to the New York Times.)

The Mannahatta Project