On Earth Overshoot Day (August 2), calculate your own Overshoot Day and #movethedate
OAKLAND, Calif., Aug. 1, 2017 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Global Footprint Network, an international research organization, is marking Earth Overshoot Day with the launch of a new mobile-friendly Footprint calculator at www.footprintcalculator.org.
Earth Overshoot Day is the date when humanity's annual demand on nature exceeds what Earth can regenerate over the entire year. This year Earth Overshoot Day falls on August 2, the earliest date yet.
The costs of this global ecological overspending include deforestation, drought, fresh-water scarcity, soil erosion, biodiversity loss, and the buildup of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere.
The new Footprint Calculator, still a beta version, allows users to measure their own demand on nature (Ecological Footprint) and assess their personal Earth Overshoot Day. A user's personal Earth Overshoot day is the date Earth Overshoot Day would be if all people had their Footprint.
A personal Earth Overshoot Day earlier than August 2 means your demand on nature is higher than the world average. If it is earlier than April 24, it is higher than Germany's average; if it is earlier than March 14, it is higher than the US average. (See more country dates here.)
#movethedate Solutions
This year Global Footprint Network and 30+ partners are highlighting solutions and individual pledges to #movethedate. If we moved Earth Overshoot Day back 4.5 days every year, we would live within the means of one Earth before 2050; we are currently using 1.7 Earths. Reducing the carbon component of the global Ecological Footprint 50% would move Overshoot Day 89 days.
Food is another major Ecological Footprint driver. Global Footprint Network collaborated with the Barilla Center for Food & Nutrition to create an infographic that showcases food-based solutions to lower the Ecological Footprint. Cutting food waste in half worldwide could move the date of Overshoot Day 11 days; eating less protein-intensive food could move Overshoot Day 31 days.
"Our planet is finite, but human possibilities are not. Living within the means of one planet is technologically possible, financially beneficial, and our only chance for a prosperous future," said Global Footprint Network CEO Mathis Wackernagel. "We hope our new Footprint Calculator enables millions more people to explore sustainability solutions and gain an uplifting sense of the possibilities available to society."
More than 2 million people globally used the Footprint Calculator last year, including students and educators.
The new Footprint Calculator allows users to play with options, learn about solutions, and connect to brief sustainability facts. A person's Ecological Footprint is the productive surface area required to provide all he/she uses, including areas for food and timber; for urban infrastructure; and to absorb carbon dioxide emissions.
Additional Resources
Calculate your own Overshoot Day and Footprint: www.footprintcalculator.org
More on Earth Overshoot Day: www.overshootday.org
Social media: #movethedate
Infographics: http://www.overshootday.org/newsroom/infographics/
Video: https://youtu.be/oPO2-KCyFvc
Footprint open data platform: data.footprintnetwork.org
About Global Footprint Network
Global Footprint Network is changing how the world manages its natural resources to enable thriving lives for all within the means of one planet.
Media Contacts:
Ronna Kelly - California
Global Footprint Network
+1 (510) 839-8879 x 302 (office)
+1 (510) 834-2563 (mobile)
ronna.kelly@footprintnetwork.org
Laetitia Mailhes - France
Global Footprint Network
+33 6 50 97 90 12
laetitia.mailhes@footprintnetwork.org
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SOURCE Global Footprint Network
