Earth Overshoot Day is being moved to August 1st, a record date; it would take 1.7 Earths to meet humanity's needs.
Humanity is consuming Earth's resources at an ever-increasing rate. According to the latest research from the Global Footprint Network (GFN), in 2018, we consumed enough carbon, food, water, fiber, land, and timber to last a year in just 212 days, two days faster than the previous year's record, making it the fastest on record. The research organization has proposed Earth Overshoot Day, indicating that at the current rate of human resource consumption, August 1st marks Earth Overshoot Day, meaning that from this day forward, the rate of resource regeneration cannot keep up with the rate of consumption. If consumption is not reduced, the problem of resource scarcity will likely worsen. According to the Global Footprint Network, to maintain current human resource demands, we would need the equivalent of 1.7 Earths. Earth Overshoot began to emerge in the 1970s due to explosive population growth and increasing resource demands. However, 30 years ago, Overshoot Day was much later, set on October 15th, and in the following decades, this date has been continuously moved forward. Twenty years ago it was September 30th; ten years ago it was August 15th. Based on current trends, it may be pushed forward to July next year. The Guardian points out that although food production has been continuously increasing, mining, deforestation, and burning fossil fuels have significantly damaged the soil, causing water shortages and altering the climate, with increasingly evident long-term consequences. Research suggests that if humans change their lifestyles...