World Wildlife Fund Sustainability Works

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Earth Overshoot Day 2017

  • Date: 02 August 2017

In the fight against climate change, we are focused on a key number: 2. A 2-degree Celsius rise in temperature is what we must avoid to limit changes in weather and sea level that could have catastrophic impacts on our planet.

But this year, there’s another 2 we need to worry about: August 2.

August 2 is this year’s Earth Overshoot Day – the day when we begin to use more natural resources than the Earth can replenish in a single year. That means in just over half a year’s time, we have already drained our planet of the resources it creates. And we get worse every year. In 1977, Earth Overshoot Day was on November 17. In only 40 years, we have bumped that timeline up 2.5 months. This is simply not sustainable.

We owe it to future generations, our own children and grandchildren, to better protect our natural resources and ensure they have what they need to survive. Even the smallest changes make a difference – taking the subway instead of your car once a week, finishing all the food on your plate, throwing your plastic water bottle in the recycling bin – there are endless easy ways to make a positive impact.

Protecting our natural resources is possible, but it’s something we must all do together.

To find out more about how you can contribute to a better, more sustainable future, visit our Earth Overshoot Day page.

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