What does ecological overshoot mean

One hundred years ago, the carbon Footprint was a very small fraction of the overall Ecological Footprint. Since , our total carbon Footprint has more than doubled in total global hectares. Because we are emitting carbon dioxide into the air at a rate much faster than it can be absorbed, it is building up in the atmosphere and ocean.

Therefore, significantly reducing the carbon footprint is an essential step not only to end ecological overshoot and living within the means of our planet, but also to mitigate climate change. Fortunately, the climate agreement that was adopted at the United Nations Conference of Parties COP 21 in December potentially laid down the path.

It mandates maintaining global warming within 2 degrees Celsius over pre-Industrial Revolution levels. This shared goal will require nations to implement policies to completely phase out fossil fuels by Whether promises made are kept will obviously depend on political will. Technology and more intensive inputs have helped expand biological productivity over the years, but that expansion has not come close to keeping pace with the rate at which population and resource demand have expanded.

Higher per capita demand leaves a smaller pool of resources for everyone. Larger populations mean finite resources must be divided among more people. Whatever the factors — consumption or population — humanity is simply demanding more than Earth can provide.

This overuse cannot be maintained for long. If we continue on the course estimated by moderate United Nations projections for increasing population and consumption, Global Footprint Network data show that we would need the capacity of two Earths to keep up with our level of demand by Adjustments of the date that we go into overshoot are due to revised calculations, not ecological advances on the part of humanity.

As Global Footprint Network methodology changes, projections will continue to shift. For media inquiries, contact Communications Manager, Amanda Diep media footprintnetwork. Jump to the Content. By this annual overshoot had accrued into an ecological debt that exceeded 2.

However, if yield estimates were adjusted for sustainable levels of production, the yield figures would be lower, and hence the overshoot estimated by the Ecological Footprint method even higher. Human overpopulation or population overshoot occurs when the ecological footprint of a human population in a specific geographical location exceeds the carrying capacity of the place occupied by that group.

In contrast, the global ecological deficit cannot be compensated through trade, and is therefore equal to overshoot. According to the Living Planet Report , August 21 of was earth overshoot day. Language English. This means that it takes 1. How can this be possible when there is only one Earth?