Earth Overshoot Day: Pushing Back the Date

*Originally written in 2020 and updated in 2025*

The year 2020 has been an eventful year for every person on this planet. But if Mother Earth could speak, she would say this has been the best year she has had in a very long time. That is because of reduced carbon emissions due to COVID-19 halting economic growth.

Thanks to the pandemic, Earth Overshoot Day (EOD) 2020 was 3 weeks later than what it was in the previous year. In 2019, EOD was July 29th, but in 2020, it was August 22nd. In 2024, however, the EOD fell on August 1st.

What is Earth Overshoot Day?

This is the date when demand for resources in a given year exceeds what nature can provide. After the EOD, we can still access resources, but it means we are approaching the depletion of these resources faster than what nature can regenerate to sustain us.

How is it Calculated?

The Global Footprint Network determines EOD by dividing the planet’s biocapacity by our ecological footprint and then multiplying by 365 (the number of days in a year) or 366 (for a leap year).

(Earth’s Biocapacity ÷ Humanity’s Ecological Footprint) x 365 or 366 = Earth Overshoot Day

Biocapacity: The ability of ecosystems to regenerate themselves. It consists of the resources nature gives us.

Ecological footprint: The impact our actions have on the environment. It encompasses how we consume resources.

Unfortunately, our ecological footprint far exceeds the planet’s biocapacity. In 1971, this was not the case, but the past 50 years has seen an increasingly earlier EOD. In the last decade, it has fallen in August, meaning we can barely last half a year:

Imagine 7 billion people using double the amount of resources Earth can provide. Today we require 1.75 Earths’ worth of resources for a single year.

Pushing Back the Date: #MoveTheDate Campaign

The Global Footprint Network has initiated #MoveTheDate. It is a campaign focused on moving the date for Earth Overshoot Day by using less energy and resources while reducing waste. Learn how you can reduce food waste, plastic use, and pick up other sustainable habits.

Conclusion

Our current choices can make a significant impact in changing our drastic resource consumption trend. It is important that we look to the future of our children/grandchildren. We want to leave behind a safe, healthy, and renewable world.

At Green Schools Green Future, we aim to educate children about sustainable ways of living through hands-on activities, including growing their own food. Our curriculum will equip them with the skills they need to become the responsible green leaders our world needs.