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Humans’ use of renewable resources has historically outpaced what the Earth can regenerate each year. That trend is flattening, but not fast enough, researchers say.
Wednesday is Earth Overshoot Day, the time when humanity’s demand for renewable resources and services exceeds what the Earth can restore in a year. Currently, humanity worldwide is using about 1.7 Earth’s worth of renewable resources each year. That’s three Earths by 2050, following that trajectory, according to the Global Footprint Network.
The overuse of renewable resources has crept up sooner over the past 10 years, albeit at a slower pace. It’s unclear how much economic factors have contributed to that slowed pace and how much decarbonization efforts are responsible.