Got an idea for a holiday? Send it to us

Submit Now

139 Shares
139 Shares
ThuJul 25

Earth Overshoot Day – July 25, 2024

We are observing Earth Overshoot Day on July 25. This is a serious day for all of us to reconsider our way of life and usage of natural resources. Our mother Earth can only regenerate resources at a finite rate. But we are utilizing it more than this rate every year. Earth Overshoot Day was introduced to raise awareness about the resource shortage that we are creating with our modern lifestyle. Once the regeneration of resources is at its limit, we exploit what is left of the resources, making the situation even worse. Andrew Simms started the idea behind Earth Overshoot Day to track the ecological resources and services we use from nature.

History of Earth Overshoot Day

How long can we live on this planet? A decent-sized meteor, a large solar flare, or an X-ray burst from a star can wipe us out of existence in seconds. We do not have to look for astronomical events for a doomsday scenario. Our activities are creating huge challenges for life on earth. Global warming is slowly raising the sea levels. A third world war, if it happened, could end up as nuclear war and could take us back to the ice age. Even more serious and underappreciated is the issue of the consumption of natural resources.

We have been squandering resources and taking them for granted. Renewable resources need time to renew. If our usage rate is higher than the renewal rate, then we are over-exploiting the resources. Earth Overshoot Day (also known as E.O.D.) is a calculation based on our resource use and the earth’s regenerating capacity. By calculating their ratio and multiplying it with the number of days in a year, we will get a value known as the E.O.D. The date is getting earlier every year as we are over-utilizing the resources every year.

Andrew Simms started the idea behind Earth Overshoot Day to understand the rate at which we are consuming our natural resources and how long we can sustain them. We use natural resources at a very high rate. Based on the last calculation, we need 3.6 Earths to have as many resources as we used, based on the usage of the Netherlands.

Earth Overshoot Day timeline

1965
Andrew Simms Is Born

Andrew Simms –– author, analyst, and co-director of the New Weather Institute –– is born.

1986
New Economics Foundation

The New Economics Foundation starts its operations for social, economic, and environmental justice.

1987
The First Overshoot

December 19 records the first Earth Overshoot Day.

2003
Global Footprint Network

Mathis Wackernagel and Susan Burns start Global Footprint Network to promote tools for advancing sustainability.

Earth Overshoot Day FAQs

What is Earth's Overshoot Day?

Earth’s Overshoot Day is a date marked annually when humanity exhausts nature’s renewable resource limit.

How many Earths overshoot a day?

If we consider last year’s values, we will need 1.7 planet Earths to meet our energy and raw material needs.

What is Earth’s overshoot day 2021?

Earth Overshoot Day in 2021 is July 29. It is estimated to be much worse this year.

How to Observe Earth Overshoot Day

  1. Create an awareness post

    Create an awareness post about Earth Overshoot Day. Try to include the previous dates and this year's date to raise awareness about the seriousness of the issue.

  2. Start a renew and recycle campaign

    Stop using new products and start promoting renewal and recycling. Such campaigns can help decrease the resource consumption rate.

  3. Create an overshoot graph

    Create an overshoot graph with previous dates and data. Try to predict the next few years’ overshoot date to make people understand the seriousness of the issue.

5 Facts About Renewable Energy That You Should Know

  1. Renewable energy in the U.S.

    Renewable energy only accounts for 12.2% of energy consumption in the U.S.

  2. Natural gas consumption in the U.S.

    The U.S. consumes more natural gas than it produces, despite being among the world's top natural gas producers.

  3. Future of renewable resource

    By 2040, renewable resources are estimated to provide roughly 15% of the world’s energy needs.

  4. Alarming energy consumption rate

    Energy consumption increased by 26% between 1980 and 2014.

  5. Energy production in the U.S.

    Energy production in the U.S. meets only around 89% of the country's needs.

Why Earth Overshoot Day is Important

  1. A day for Global change

    Change is needed for a sustainable future. This day is the perfect day to start such a change in our lifestyle for a better tomorrow.

  2. The date speaks for itself

    The Earth overshoot date is calculated based on the data about our resource use and how many resources will be available. The date changes based on the data, and it speaks for itself when the date is getting closer than the last year.

  3. A day for positive actions

    Today is the day for positive changes. We love a day when it can inspire people to think differently about nature and bring in positive changes.

Earth Overshoot Day dates

YearDateDay
2022July 28Thursday
2023August 2Wednesday
2024July 25Thursday
2025July 24Thursday
2026July 23Thursday

Holidays Straight to Your Inbox

Every day is a holiday!
Receive fresh holidays directly to your inbox.