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In seven months humanity has burned through the resources it takes the Earth a full year to replenish. This is overshoot, and yes, it is a very big deal. In 2019, Earth Overshoot Day falls on July 29. Find out how we know when \u201cEarth Overshoot Day\u201d falls, how and why we\u2019re operating in ecological deficit, what it means for us and our children, and what \u2013 if anything \u2013 we can do about it.

Ecological footprint co-originator Mathis Wackernagel joins Erika and Dave for an in-depth discussion of overshoot. He explains the rigorous analysis done by the Global Footprint Network (which he founded) to calculate the biocapacity of the planet and the demands we place on it. Calculate your own ecological footprint using this footprint calculator and compare yours with Dave\u2019s and Erika\u2019s.

We discuss much of the information and ideas in his new book, Ecological Footprint: Managing Our Biocapacity Budget, co-written with Bert Beyers (available September 3, 2019). One of the most interesting and important is the idea that governments at every level, including cities, that continue today to invest in infrastructure designed around fossil-fuel powered transportation, will not be competitive in the new world we\u2019re entering.

Plus: A new study claims cutting beef consumption by 40% will allow us to feed a world population of 10.9 billion people. Dave has a few problems with the reporting on this story and the rationale for doing the research. He suggests, \u201cLet\u2019s not put heroic efforts into feeding 10.9 billion. Let\u2019s focus our efforts on not reaching 10.9 billion.\u201d We know having fewer children doesn\u2019t wreck the planet. We DON\u2019T know the unintended consequences of the next \u201cgreen revolution.\u201d

LINKS:

Ecological Footprint: Managing Our Biocapacity Budget by Mathis Wackernagel and Bert Beyers
(pre-order the book now, publication date is September 3, 2019)

Cut Beef Consumption in Half to Help Save the Earth, Says New Study

Creating a Sustainable Food Future: A Menu of Solutions to Feed Nearly 10 Billion People by 2050
World Resources Institute report

Footprint Calculator

Move the Date
Solutions to accelerate the shift to one-planet living

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For further exploration:

Overshoot Index (2016)

Past Earth Overshoot Days

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Mentioned or recommended by Wackernagel:

The One Planet Life\xa0 by David Thorpe

The Challenge of Man\u2019s Future by Harrison Brown

The Next Hundred Years: A Discussion Prepared for Leaders of American Industry published in 1957
by Harrison Brown, James Bonner, and John Weir

Invisible Walls: Why We Ignore the Damage We Inflict on the Planet \u2014 and Ourselves by Peter Seidel
(According to Wackernagel, \u201cThis was such a fabulous book; I believe the first ever to so clearly lay out the psychological and cultural barriers we are up against in the transformation to sustainability.\u201d)

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