Whether we’re running a country or a household, we always need to spend within our budget. The Earth also has a budget – the ecological budget, where income and expenditure take the form of natural resources. Like every budget, the Earth’s is limited. Today, humans are using the resources replenished by one year of the Earth’s natural processes in only seven to eight months.
Earth Overshoot Day is the date by which all of the Earth’s ecological resources and services for the year are consumed. This year, it falls on July 28. According to a report from advocacy group Global Footprint Network, Earth Overshoot Day was on December 25 in 1971 and has been creeping earlier each year. Currently, humans are consuming 1.7 times the resources the Earth can replace in one year. By 2030, humans will require the resources produced on two Earths. In the Indian context, the country will require 2.5 times more natural resources to meet its demand by 2030.
Overexploitation of resources by a growing population has reversed the demand-and-supply relationship. Even if its birth rate continues to decline, India is projected to be home to around 1.51 billion people by 2030. India has lower per-capita consumption of natural resources than many countries, but overshoot occurs due to its high population and limited resources. India has about 18 percent of the world’s population, while its land, forest and clean water make up a meagre 2.4, 2 and 4 percent of the world’s respective totals. Represented as land area, the natural resources available to sustain people in India take up 0.5 hectares per person, while consumption is around 1.1 hectares per person.
