Washington: In just over seven months, humanity has used up a full year’s allotment of natural resources such as water, food and clean air — the quickest rate yet, according to a new report. The point of “overshoot” will officially be reached on Monday, said environmental group Global Footprint Network — five days earlier than last year.
“We continue to grow our ecological debt,” said Pascal Canfin of green group WWF. “From August 8, we will be living on credit because in eight months we would have consumed the natural capital that our planet can renew in a year.”
The gloomy milestone is marked every year on what is known as Earth Overshoot Day. In 1961 man used only about three-quarters of Earth’s annual resource allotment. By the 1970s, economic and population growth sent Earth into annual overshoot.
