With year on year record-breaking temperatures and more than half of England now officially in drought it is pretty clear to most of us that the planet is heating up. The dramatic scenes of wildfires in France and Spain only serve to confirm what meteorologists and climate scientists have been saying for a while. Meanwhile, Reform and the Tories continue with their climate change denial, kowtowing to the wealthy fossil fuel lobby. However, it is patently obvious that we as a species are living beyond our means, depleting and degrading the life-giving resources provided by our planet.
What is Earth Overshoot Day?
Earth Overshoot Day marks the exact date when humanity’s total demand for ecological resources and services in a given year exceeds what the Earth can regenerate in that same year, and in 2026, it falls on 30 July. That means for the rest of the year, humanity operates on an ecological deficit by consuming local resource stocks and building up waste.
From the beginning of January 2026 until 30 July, we have already collectively demanded as much from nature as Earth’s ecosystems can manage to regenerate in the whole year. This means we are currently using nature 73% faster than ecosystems can regenerate, the equivalent of living off 1.73 Earths. This calculation is based on the latest information from the Footprint Data Foundation which updates every year on Earth Day, 22 April. Each country has its own Overshoot Day which in many notable cases takes place well before the Earth Overshoot Day, for example, Qatar, Singapore, Kuwait, Mongolia, Canada, UAE, Bahrain, USA, Russia, Australia, Oman and several EU Member States all reached Overshoot Day before the end of March. UK Overshoot Day was 22 May which puts us in a worse position than China. Damage from overshoot is cumulative, which means that even if the date holds steady, the pressure on the planet intensifies. Every year’s overshoot adds to the already existing ecological debt.
A variety of factors contribute to overshoot, such as cars, power plants, factories and data centres emitting more CO₂ than the biosphere can absorb, more freshwater being consumed than is replenished, more trees being harvested than can regrow, and more fish being caught than stocks can replace. Overuse depletes natural capital and threatens long-term economic security worldwide, exacerbating hunger, for example, and making malnutrition more likely. Populations are less resilient so if the harvest fails famine can ensue.
Despite this overshoot, hardly any national governments treat resource security as a central part of their economic planning, even as ecological overshoot fuels food and energy insecurity, health crises, and conflict, and contributes to stagflation which is a combination of slow growth and high inflation that generally hits the poorest hardest.
A report prepared by the Global Footprint Network analysed various governments’ preparedness for overshoot and discovered that most countries treat sustainability as a side issue rather than a structural risk to growth, fiscal stability, and long-term competitiveness, and no country fully connects economic planning to physical resource limits.
Even more worrying is the fact that, in recent months even as the world burns, numerous local and national governments have weakened climate policy paving the way for future climate-fuelled disasters.
Shamefully, here in the North East Reform-led councils such as those in Durham and Sunderland rescinded climate emergency resolutions almost immediately upon taking control, resulting in the falling away of various support measures and ultimately threatening jobs in green industries.
What can we do?
So what can we each do to address the ecological deficit and avoid utter despondency?
- Eat smarter: Cut food waste and eat fewer animal products to reduce agricultural strain.
- Save energy: Insulate your home, use efficient heating, and support green electricity.
- Change travel: Walk, bike, or take public transit instead of driving alone.
- Consume less: Repair broken items, buy second-hand goods, and avoid single-use plastics.
- Join local, national and international campaigns such as Greenpeace, Friends of the Earth, Surfers Against Sewage
- Demand our utilities are brought back into public control, starting with water –
- Support organisations taking legal action against big polluters, such as Good Law Project and Client Earth
- Volunteer with local food banks, community allotments, city farms, rewilding groups, eco-festivals such as Teesside’s Festival of Thrift
- Support the National Emergency Briefing, organise a film screening and invite your elected representatives
- Sign up to your local climate action group
- Write to your local council, MP, Mayor, etc
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