Planet Earth reached Overshoot day today: 2 August 2023. Many will ask: “But what is Overshoot day?”. Let’s find out together the origin of this term and the concern of experts.
Fortunately, there is a solution, but the timeframe is quite long.
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Overshoot Day: what is it and what are the solutions
Earth’s Overshoot Day means the day on which human beings have consumed all the natural resources generated by planet Earth for the entire calendar year.
As of this moment, therefore, we are using the reserves we have accumulated in previous years to keep the planet we live on going.
Reserves that we will, of course, be taking away from future years and thus from the new generations that are increasingly concerned about natural phenomena caused by climate change.
The term was first used in 2006 by Andrew Simms of the British Think Tank New Economics Foundation, who in the same year collaborated with the Global Footprint Network.
Since the following year, 2007, many international organisations and associations have espoused the cause of the British think tank, turning the spotlight on this day that has increasingly alarmed scientists and experts around the world.
Possible solutions and the wall of some nations: from green policies to the COP
As we have already mentioned, a solution exists. It may seem almost banal and repetitive to say it, but to solve this problem it is necessary to implement green policies that safeguard the environment and consequently planet earth.
Reducing the use of fossil fuels and thus avoiding excessive CO2 emissions into the air could be an excellent starting point to try to accumulate reserves. Or at least postpone Overshoot Day more and more.
Adopting these solutions is not so easy as the timeframe is very long. And many nations have shown reluctance to suspend or reduce the use of fossil fuels. This has also been demonstrated by the difficult negotiations during the various UN conferences on climate change (COP).
Which have seen states such as China and India at odds, who do not want to do without the use of materials such as coal or other highly polluting fossil fuels.
Read also: From carbon capture, to nuclear, to hydrogen: 10 ways to net zero emissions
