Earth Overshoot Day
July 24
About Earth Overshoot Day
Earth Overshoot Day marks the date each year when humanity’s demand for ecological resources and services exceeds what the planet can regenerate in that same year. It is calculated by the Global Footprint Network and falls in late July, with the date for 2026 due to be confirmed on 5 June 2026, World Environment Day. The day is intended to draw attention to ecological overshoot and to encourage practical action to bring human consumption back within the means of a single planet.
What is Earth Overshoot Day?
Earth Overshoot Day is the calculated calendar date on which humanity has used all the biological resources that Earth can renew during the entire year. For the remainder of the year, the world operates in ecological deficit, drawing down natural capital such as forests, fisheries, and the atmosphere’s capacity to absorb carbon. The concept was developed by Andrew Simms of the UK think tank the New Economics Foundation, and the global campaign is hosted and calculated by the Global Footprint Network, an international research organisation founded in 2003. The day applies worldwide and is used by researchers, governments, businesses, and campaigners to communicate the scale of resource overconsumption.
When is Earth Overshoot Day?
For 2026, Earth Overshoot Day is expected to fall on Friday, 24 July 2026, in line with the most recently confirmed date of 24 July 2025. The exact 2026 date is announced each year on 5 June, World Environment Day, so that it reflects the most up to date data. The date is variable rather than fixed because it depends on the latest measurements of the planet’s biocapacity and humanity’s ecological footprint, and it has steadily moved earlier in the calendar over recent decades.
| Year | Date |
|---|---|
| 2022 | Thursday, 28 July |
| 2023 | Wednesday, 2 August |
| 2024 | Thursday, 1 August |
| 2025 | Thursday, 24 July |
| 2026 | Friday, 24 July (to be confirmed 5 June) |
Why Earth Overshoot Day Matters
The day puts a single, memorable date on a problem that can otherwise feel abstract. According to the Global Footprint Network, humanity currently uses the equivalent of more than 1.7 Earths each year, meaning the planet would need around twenty months to regenerate what is consumed in twelve. The pressure shows up in the wider data: world population has grown by 121 per cent since 1970, while monitored vertebrate species populations have declined by 73 per cent over a similar period. Fossil carbon alone accounts for around 62 per cent of humanity’s ecological footprint, which links the date directly to the climate crisis.
Earth Overshoot Day also illustrates global inequality in consumption. Wealthier nations reach their own country overshoot day far earlier in the year than lower-income countries, and the Global Footprint Network publishes a calendar of these national dates each year to make that contrast clear. For anyone tracking the bigger picture, the day pairs naturally with other environmental observances such as World Environment Day, which is when the new overshoot date is revealed.
How to Get Involved in Earth Overshoot Day
There are many practical ways to mark the day and support the goal of moving it later in the calendar.
- Calculate your personal footprint – Use the Global Footprint Network’s free online calculator to estimate how many Earths would be needed if everyone lived as you do, then identify your biggest areas of impact.
- Cut food waste and eat more plant-based meals – Food production is a major driver of the global footprint, so reducing waste and shifting some meals away from meat and dairy makes a measurable difference.
- Rethink transport – Walking, cycling, using public transport, or switching to lower-carbon travel options reduces the fossil carbon share of your footprint.
- Improve home energy efficiency – Better insulation, efficient appliances, and renewable energy tariffs lower the demand your household places on the planet’s regenerative capacity.
- Support the #MoveTheDate campaign – Share solutions you admire across the campaign’s focus areas of planet, cities, energy, food, and population to help build momentum.
- Engage your workplace or school – Organise a talk, audit your organisation’s resource use, or set a reduction target to extend the impact beyond your own home.
- Lobby for systemic change – Contact elected representatives to back policies on renewable energy, sustainable agriculture, and conservation, since individual action works best alongside structural reform.
- Spread the word online – Share the date and the underlying statistics with your network to help the campaign reach the billions of media impressions it now generates each year.
History of Earth Overshoot Day
The idea behind Earth Overshoot Day grew out of work by Andrew Simms at the New Economics Foundation in the UK, who wanted a clear way to communicate the concept of ecological overshoot. The New Economics Foundation partnered with the Global Footprint Network in 2006 to launch the first global Earth Overshoot Day campaign, building on the ecological footprint accounting methods pioneered by the network’s co-founders.
The Global Footprint Network itself was founded in 2003 by Mathis Wackernagel and Susan Burns, with its headquarters in Oakland, California, and additional offices in Geneva and Brussels. The organisation developed and refined the National Footprint and Biocapacity Accounts, the dataset that underpins the annual calculation. These accounts are now governed by the FoDaFo initiative and maintained by York University in Canada, giving the figures an independent academic home.
Over time the date has crept earlier in the year, a trend that captures the steady rise in global resource demand. In the early 1970s the planet was roughly in balance, with overshoot occurring close to the end of December. By the mid-2020s the date had moved to late July, reflecting decades of growth in consumption and emissions. The campaign has grown alongside this trend, attracting more than seven billion media impressions across nearly 100 countries in recent years, up from around three billion in 2018.
Noteworthy Facts About Earth Overshoot Day
- The date is calculated by dividing Earth’s biocapacity by humanity’s ecological footprint and multiplying by 365, or 366 in a leap year.
- Humanity currently uses resources at a rate equivalent to more than 1.7 planets each year.
- Fossil carbon makes up roughly 62 per cent of the global ecological footprint, tying the day closely to climate change.
- The Global Footprint Network estimates that moving the date back by six days every year would bring humanity below one-planet consumption before 2050.
- Individual countries have their own overshoot days, and the network publishes a full calendar of national dates each year.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is Earth Overshoot Day?
It is the date each year when humanity has consumed all the biological resources that Earth can regenerate over the full year. After that point, the world is running an ecological deficit for the rest of the year.
When is Earth Overshoot Day in 2026?
It is expected to fall on Friday, 24 July 2026, matching the most recently confirmed date. The official 2026 date is announced on 5 June 2026, World Environment Day.
Who calculates Earth Overshoot Day?
The date is hosted and calculated by the Global Footprint Network using its National Footprint and Biocapacity Accounts. The underlying concept was originally developed by Andrew Simms of the New Economics Foundation.
Spread the Word
Help raise awareness by sharing Earth Overshoot Day with your friends, family, and followers. Use the hashtags #EarthOvershootDay and #MoveTheDate on social media. The more people who understand what the date means, the greater the pressure to push it later in the calendar.
Related Awareness Days
- World Environment Day – The global day for environmental action, and the date on which the new Earth Overshoot Day is announced each year.
- World Day to Combat Desertification and Drought – Highlights the loss of productive land, a direct measure of declining biocapacity.
- World Refill Day – Encourages reusable habits that cut waste and lower individual ecological footprints.
Links
2026 Awareness Days Wall Planner
Every key awareness day at a glance. Perfect for offices, staff rooms, and team planning.
View Calendar →
