Earth overshoot day: humanity consumes resources as if we have 1.7 planets

As of today, Thursday, humanity has consumed more resources than the Earth can replenish in a year. In other words, we are living as if we had 1.7 Earths at our disposal. This is according to the organisation Germanwatch, citing calculations by the Global Footprint Network, which is based in the USA and Switzerland. This year's Earth Overshoot Day falls one day earlier than last year. The term encompasses the consumption of resources such as fish, arable land, and wood, as well as the Earth's capacity to absorb waste and emissions. +Get the most important news from Switzerland in your inbox Air traffic: a minority causes global damage Aircraft significantly harm the climate. In addition to carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions, they contribute approximately three times the greenhouse effect compared to the same amount of CO2 emitted on the ground, as Germanwatch highlights. One contributing factor is contrails. In contrast, rail transport presents a more sustainable option, being up to 28 ...