Earth Overshoot Day marks the date when humanity’s demand for ecological resources and services in a given year exceeds what Earth’s ecosystems can regenerate in that year. To determine the date of Earth Overshoot Day, Global Footprint Network calculates the number of days that Earth’s annual biocapacity can provide for humanity’s consumption, using the latest data. How exactly is explained on this page and in more detail in this research report. The methodology relies on the most recent edition of the National Footprint and Biocapacity Accounts (2023 edition, in this case), using additional data to overcome the unavoidably “time gap” in United Nations’ reporting procedures.
To address this “gap” and determine Earth Overshoot Day for the current year, Global Footprint Network builds on time series from the National Footprint and Biocapacity Accounts data and extends those trend series to the present year. Where possible, more recent data (Global Carbon Project, International Energy Agency (IEA), etc.) are incorporated to strengthen the assessment for the “gap” years. The downloadable research report documents these datasets and methodology.
Based on these calculations, every year on June 5, World Environment Day, Global Footprint Network announces the date for Earth Overshoot Day of the running year. On June 5 2024, Global Footprint Network revealed that Earth Overshoot Day 2024 falls on August 1st.