Ecological Debt Day is the date of the year when humanity begins to use the resources of the planet Earth faster than nature itself can renew itself. From that moment, until the end of the current year, people on a global level they borrow with nature for its resources.
Looking at individual countries, not every country starts living in the same way dug. This year, Serbia started living in this way from May 23, which is much earlier compared to 2023, when in dug took a step towards nature on July 8. Some other countries, let’s say geographically close to ours, Bosnia and Herzegovina did it on May 9, Montenegro on May 30, and Croatia on May 28.
According to the data Global Footprint Network, the country that first borrowed this year was Qatar on February 11, followed by Luxembourg on February 20. So far, a total of around 80 countries have borrowed. Brazil is expected to do it soon, already on August 4, while Kyrgyzstan is predicted to be the last, and December 30 is given as the date.
As it is explained, there are countries where the ecological footprint per person is smaller than the global biocapacity per person, and if all of humanity lived that way, the world would not spend the entire budget in one year. Such countries are excluded from the dates just given as an example.
However, overall, humanity is living at the expense of the planet as of today, because we have used up all the natural resources that can be renewed in a year. Last year, the day of ecological debt on a global level arrived a day later – on August 2.
More precisely, the data show that people are currently using nature 1.7 times faster than the ecosystem can renew itself.
Through illustration, Global Footprint Network showed how many planets a nation would need to meet its current resource needs. The United States would need five of our planets, Australia 4.7, Russia 3.8, France 3.3, while Germany, Switzerland, Portugal and Italy are very close to the same figure of three planets. There is a continuation of the list, but the United States remains in first place in terms of the number of planets needed, that is, the amount of its resources. When all countries are taken into account, an average of 1.75 is needed. Let’s say, India would need 0.7, that is, not even the entire planet, so this country was not even found in the mentioned table with the dates of entry into environmental debt.
World Environmental Debt Day, generally speaking, is coming earlier and earlier. Thus, in the 70s of the last century, he came at the end of the year, at the beginning of the 21st century in September, and now at the beginning of August.
Energy portal
Source: energetskiportal.rs
