Earth Overshoot Day marks the date when humanity’s demand for ecological resources and services in a given year exceeds what Earth can regenerate in that year.
To determine the date of Earth Overshoot Day 2021, Global Footprint Network combined the most reliable data and formed the most reasonable assumptions to assess humanity’s resource situation.
Changes in carbon emissions, forest biocapacity and other factors that could impact global biocapacity or the Ecological Footprint from January 1 to Earth Overshoot Day 2021 were evaluated. The main drivers were the carbon Footprint (increased 6.6% from 2021) and a decrease in global forest biocapacity (reduced 0.5% from 2021).
For more details, check out the downloadable research report explaining how the date of Earth Overshoot Day was calculated.
HOW THE DATE WAS CALCULATED
Councillor Susan Aitken, Leader of Glasgow City Council, announces the date of Earth Overshoot Day 2021.
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Earth Overshoot Day By the Numbers
3800
million years ago life first evident on Earth
121
increase in world population since 1970
-58
decline in average population size of vertebrate species since 1970
57
of humanity’s Ecological Footprint is carbon
Meet our partners
Earth Overshoot Day is an initiative of Global Footprint Network, an international research organization that is changing the way the world measures and manages its natural resources. The date of Earth Overshoot Day is calculated with data from Global Footprint Network’s National Footprint and Biocapacity Accounts, available for free at data.footprintnetwork.org.