Today, Thursday, mankind used up more resources than the earth can renew within a year. Annalena Baerbock and Olaf Scholz spoke out in favor of better climate protection.
According to calculations by experts, the world reached the so-called earth overload day on Thursday. This indicates the point at which humanity, through all of its economic activities, uses more resources than the natural cycle of renewal within a year. Experts from the Global Footprint Network use a complicated procedure to calculate when the average theoretical land requirement of mankind for urbanization, food cultivation and industrial production, for example, exceeds the earth’s buffer capacities.
One of the key variables here is the emission of CO2 from human activities. The Earth Overload Day has been moving forward almost continuously for the last 20 years. In 2000, the date fell on September 23, almost two months later than it is today.
Baerbock and Scholz call for better climate protection
“As of today we are living at the expense of the planet and future generations,” wrote Green Party leader and Chancellor candidate Annalena Baerbock on Twitter. “We have to make the planetary borders a political guideline,” she warned.
Federal Finance Minister and SPD Chancellor candidate Olaf Scholz issued a warning. “We must finally treat our planet with respect, protect resources and stop climate change,” he also wrote on Twitter.
Several youth organizations called for better climate protection. “The next federal government must initiate a system change,” said the Fridays for Future movement together with youth organizations from Amnesty International, the Naturschutzbund (NABU) and the Arbeiterwohlfahrt (AWO) as well as church organizations. They called on all eligible voters to vote for “a human rights-compliant climate policy” in the federal elections on September 26th.
Neubauer: “So far decided for more crisis”
Climate activist Luisa Neubauer from Fridays for Future criticized the federal government’s climate policy on Earth Overload Day. “We have never been better informed about the consequences of ongoing exploitation of natural resources,” she wrote on Twitter. “It’s just like this: So far, key positions of power have opted for more crisis.”
Meanwhile, the General Secretary of the German Federal Environment Foundation (DBU), Alexander Bonde, warned against further depletion of raw materials and resources. “We cannot continue to live on the planet’s credit – and pretend we have several earths available – without the resources being able to recover,” said the former Baden-Württemberg Green Agriculture Minister of the Düsseldorf “Rheinische Post”. In the 1970s, the earth overload day was reached in December of a year, now by the end of July.
Jane Stock is a technology author, who has written for 24 Hours World. She writes about the latest in technology news and trends, and is always on the lookout for new and innovative ways to improve his audience’s experience.
