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Earth Overshoot Day coming earlier

In 2040 we will need 2 planet Earths to produce what people need, if we continue to consume at the current rate.

The current rate of consumption, the growth in world population and the resulting pressure on the environment are no longer sustainable. In 2013 the date on which people had already used more resources than planet Earth can produce in a year was the 20th of August. Every year this date (Earth Overshoot Day) is coming 3 days earlier.

The increase in the use of resources is greater than the effect of a productivity-increase and environmental measures. This effect is intensified by rapid industrial development in countries such as China and India.

The risk of depletion and pollution, caused by the use of natural resources, is an ever greater threat to our planet. It’s not just the non-renewable resources, such as oil and minerals, that we must use sensibly and economically. However, it also applies to so-called renewable resources, such as agricultural land, as fertile agricultural land is the no.1 depleting resource in the world.