Slovenia’s Earth Overshoot Day moves forward by nearly two weeks

Ljubljana – Slovenia’s Earth Overshoot Day, also known as Ecological Debt Day, landed on 18 April this year, meaning it has moved forward by twelve days compared to last year, experts warn. This Monday thus marks the date when the annual biocapacity of our planet would be used up if everyone on Earth lived like people in Slovenia do.

“This year, Slovenia will be living in so-called ecological debt for more than eight months,” the organisation Institute of Health and Environment said. The fact that Earth Overshoot Day has been moving forward shows that people are not treating the planet as they should, it added, noting that change is urgent.

Last year, Slovenia’s Earth Overshoot Day fell on 30 April, but this year it landed on 18 April, prior to Earth Day, which is celebrated on 22 April, shows data by Global Footprint Network.

If everyone in the world lived like people in Slovenia do, humans would need 3.4 planets the size of Earth, the organisation said. On average, the world would need 1.75 such planets, with the demand in the US being the biggest – 5.1 planets.

There is 12.2 billion hectares of productive land on Earth such as grasslands, pastures, arable land and fishing grounds. “This means that every person on the planet has about 1.6 hectares of fertile land to meet their natural resource needs, and the current ecological footprint of a Slovenian citizen averages 5.37 global hectares,” the institute said.

Earth Overshoot Day marks the date when humanity’s demand for ecological resources and services in a given year exceeds what Earth can regenerate in that year. In 2021, it fell on 29 July.

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