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Page added on July 31, 2018
Earth Overshoot Day Offers Sustainability Lessons
August 1 will mark Earth Overshoot Day, the day that worldwide humanity will, in only seven months, have taken more resources from the Earth than can be replenished within a single year. During a calendar year, the globe’s 7.6 billion residents consume through overfishing and overharvesting forests more than Earth can replace and emit more carbon dioxide into the atmosphere than ecosystems can absorb, about 1.7 Earth equivalents as measured in natural resources.
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With 328 million people, the United States ranks third behind China and its 1.4 billion people and India with 1.2 billion in total population. Within seven years, India’s inhabitants will exceed China’s. Nigeria, currently the world’s seventh largest country, is growing the most rapidly and is expected to surpass the U.S. by 2050. The United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs projects that the unsustainable global population will reach, unless immediate behavioral changes to slow the current growth pattern occur, 9.8 billion in 2050, and 11.2 billion in 2100.
But the challenges that Overshoot Day highlights are daunting. The group of 47 least developed countries (LDCs) has a high fertility level, 4.3 births per woman in the 2010 to 2015 period. As a result, the populations of those 47 countries have grown rapidly, 2.4 percent. Although some slowing is anticipated over the coming decades, the combined population of the LDCs, roughly one billion in 2017, is projected to increase by 33 percent between 2017 and 2030, and to reach 1.9 billion persons in 2050. Africa will also experience high population growth rates. Between 2017 and 2050, 26 African countries are expected to double their populations.
Most Americans will be surprised to learn that the U.S. is on the list of nine countries that will generate half the world’s population growth between today and 2050. The other eight include India, Nigeria, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Pakistan, Ethiopia, the United Republic of Tanzania, Uganda and Indonesia.
But as the Earth Overshoot Day website notes, “The past does not necessarily determine our future.” With cautionary optimism, the site offers attainable solutions to reverse the devastating course the world has taken.
Among the suggestions are to reduce carbon footprint and to build and inhabit compact cities that offer energy-efficient buildings, integrated zoning and effective public transportation systems. Also suggested is to more efficiently produce food with an objective to waste less of it – some plant-based foods use fewer natural resources in the development process than animal-based. Because personal transportation makes up 14 percent of humanity’s carbon footprint, fewer cars on the road is an essential first step to lowering the human impact.
These lifestyle changes require a firm commitment to having smaller families, or no families. Reducing family size by an average of one half child – or one child per every two families – would mean one billion fewer world residents in 2050 than the UN’s predicted 9.7 billion, and four billion fewer than the anticipated 11.2 billion expected when the next century dawns. Many children born in 2018 will have a high probability of living until 2100, and should have the opportunity to inhabit a less densely populated planet.
The U.S. can lead in the effort toward worldwide sustainability. But, disappointingly Congress has for decades neglected its responsibility to support meaningful advances in ecological preservation. To repeat, however, “The past does not necessarily determine our future.” But now is the hour for dramatic lifestyle changes, some perhaps personal.
66 Comments on "Earth Overshoot Day Offers Sustainability Lessons"
Cloggie on Thu, 2nd Aug 2018 7:47 am
Vegetables or wheat, it is energy intensive to grow anything but mushrooms indoors, Cloggie.
And energy is getting more expensive as it declines. Not going to happen.
Ah, no, you are not going to produce much food because of the cost of that setup. Only in a globalized world can people afford the luxury of that high expense high intensity setup. You are never going to be more than just a niche for high cost agricultural production. Pot comes to mind. Neder stick to IT you don’t know much about farming.
Thanks for all these fascinating can’t do contributions from the prairie; Oh Davy, I’m from a country that runs circles around yours when it comes to agriculture.
Now for some European reality:
http://www.groentennieuws.nl/artikel/94849/900-kroppen-sla-per-vierkante-meter-en-slechts-4-arbeiders-per-hectare
Let’s assume that Antius is right with his 1500 liter of water per kilo grain (= ca. 1m2). Here some data from my link (Finland):
– productivity: 900 head of lettuce per m2 (200 kg). Any other crop will do. Compare that to Antius pathetic 1 kg grain per m2 and 1500 liter of water to boot
– 1 hectare (100m x 100m): 4 workers, mainly supervising. Planting, watering, harvesting, packaging, all automated
– production: around the year, completely planned, meaning little necessity for storage. Straight from the “field” to the super market
– these production facilities can be build next to Amsterdam, Stoke-on-Trent, Johannesburg, Riaydh, Reykjavik, anywhere. Almost complete independence from environmental conditions
– almost no transportation cost: production next to consumers
– lights from leds doesn’t take that much energy. And if you don’t stack, you can let in sunlight (Summer)
– Water requirements: near zero. All water remains in the building, apart from the small quantities embedded in the product
Of course this is the future.
Anonymouse1 on Thu, 2nd Aug 2018 7:52 am
The last sane comment from the exceptionalturd was made on: [Unknown]
The turd blathers, “You are clueless on the reality of agriculture and civilization.”
In other words, cloggraham is no different from you, delusionist.
fmr-paultard on Thu, 2nd Aug 2018 8:27 am
anontard (pbuh) why u attacking supertard (pbuh) anyways? you don’t know why u attacking him either. if u attack just mention permacutism if u demonstrate any level of understanding of ag. at all.
JuanP on Thu, 2nd Aug 2018 8:38 am
Davy pulled the Paultard socket now. John and Hello will be coming round soon! LOL! Is he using multiple devices to log in? This guy is so insane!
fmr-paultard on Thu, 2nd Aug 2018 8:45 am
juantard, how’s sex with old lady who never showers and lives in a boat? supertard is adherent of permacultism and i’m not ok, fool?
nobody practices permacultism in any sense of honesty because the word in itself is wishful thinking/ as nature is infintely complex thus the improbable posibility of reaching a covenant with nature
Antius on Thu, 2nd Aug 2018 8:47 am
Cloggie is correct; grain based food production is not a very efficient use of water in terms of calories per litre. Grain production tends to be rainwater fed; something that makes Europe one of the most productive grain producing areas of the world, as we generally have abundant rain all year round.
Some approximate water intensity figures for various foods.
https://www.theguardian.com/news/datablog/2013/jan/10/how-much-water-food-production-waste
These estimates are generally for open field agriculture, where evaporation, transpiration and run-off lead to significant avoidable losses. That is not a big problem in places where rain water can be relied upon to keep crops watered, but it becomes expensive if you need to transport water thousands of kilometres.
Potatoes are by far the most productive staple food crop; both in terms of water per calorie and calories per acre. In a food constrained world, or in a place where arable land and water are in short supply, potatoes will keep people fed. Even Cloggie’s Netherlands could be self-sufficient in food with land to spare, if most calories came from potatoes and people were lean in their consumption of meat and other luxuries.
Artificial lighting would appear to be an unnecessary complication. There are large areas of Europe and the US where annual insolation is abundant and temperatures are sufficient to support abundant food production. But food production isn’t practical because there is insufficient water. A polytunnel or greenhouse would extend the growing season by trapping natural heat and eliminating wind chill. It could also conserve water. A greenhouse represents a capital cost, but it is interesting that many greenhouses produced in the 19th century are still in use today.
Makati1 on Thu, 2nd Aug 2018 9:28 am
“Potatoes are by far the most productive staple food crop; both in terms of water per calorie and calories per acre.”
Very true, Antius. The house I am renting at the moment, has a 15 meter square area planted in camote (Sweet potatoes). The plants are flourishing and soon, the roots will be big enough to harvest. No fertilizer necessary.
No grass in the lawn here, only camote, cassava, papayas, bananas, and coconuts. Oh, and bamboo for the edible shoots. Not to mention that the camote and cassava leaves are also edible and are added to a lot of dishes here. I’m not going to starve.
Duncan Idaho on Thu, 2nd Aug 2018 9:37 am
“Potatoes are by far the most productive staple food crop; both in terms of water per calorie and calories per acre.”
Potatoes are great, but bananas crank also.
In Hawaii one could get hundreds of pounds off a small area. Not super water efficient, but in North Shore Maui, not a issue.
Makati1 on Thu, 2nd Aug 2018 9:46 am
Same here Duncan. Bananas are like weeds. The annual rainfall of 6 to 12 feet, fairly evenly spread, and a year-round growing season (70 to 90 degrees),is great.
We have over 10 varieties so there are a lot to choose from. There are about 35 banana trees in my yard, and some are 24 feet high. They also harvest the big leaves to use as plates in some restaurants here. Self-sufficient, as I keep saying.
Cloggie on Thu, 2nd Aug 2018 3:09 pm
Despite Trump…
https://cleantechnica.com/2018/08/02/more-signs-that-renewable-energy-is-winning/
“More Signs That Renewable Energy Is Winning”
Dooma on Fri, 3rd Aug 2018 12:25 am
Wow. A couple of major facts deleted from this ‘article’. THIS YEAR WE SET A NEW RECORD FOR HEADING INTO THE RED i.e stealing from the future inhabitants of this planet.
This should be major news and immediate action taken now!
If we all lived like North Americans, then we would require the equivalent of 5 f**king earth’s resources. Just let that number sink in a bit. My country is hardly any better. We should be ashamed of ourselves. If we all lived like Vietnamese, it would take until December to deplete our yearly allocation.
I spend a fair bit of time in Vietnam and people there are definitely much happier than in the west. As Mak could attest, the Western society has lost the value of a strong family/community. These things are vital to the well-being of a society.
Makati1 on Fri, 3rd Aug 2018 1:14 am
Yes Dooma, ‘family’ in the West is a nebulous thing, not close knit or even caring. I am often criticized here for not being in the Us with my adult family, but my location is not important to them. They are not all in one place like in the old days where I could see and help them often. They are scattered all along the East Coast from New York to Florida.
Families here in the Ps are close. Keep in contact almost daily. Get together for most birthdays, anniversaries, deaths, graduations and weddings. A family member that needs help will get support, even from the poorest members.
To have been accepted as part of one of these families is my greatest gift here. I have no worries about being abandoned when I am older. Even our caretaker family said they would be there for me as I am there for them. A totally different culture.
Cloggie on Fri, 3rd Aug 2018 1:39 am
“Families here in the Ps are close. Keep in contact almost daily. Get together for most birthdays, anniversaries, deaths, graduations and weddings.”
Yes, that is the scourge of mobility and “economy uber alles” attitude. Acquisition of ever more “stuff” as the primary goal in life. A job at the other side of the country is more important than proximity of family.
Davy on Fri, 3rd Aug 2018 5:13 am
“If we all lived like Vietnamese, it would take until December to deplete our yearly allocation.”
Dooma, why don’t you look a little farther north extremist anti-American? Yea, you know where China is?
https://tinyurl.com/nb6a2aj
Another thing Domma, have you checked out Asia’s population lately? So that is not a problem?
4.463 billion
Davy on Fri, 3rd Aug 2018 5:17 am
“Yes Dooma, ‘family’ in the West is a nebulous thing, not close knit or even caring. I am often criticized here for not being in the Us with my adult family, but my location is not important to them.”
Total anti-western BS. My family is very close. My country is full of families that are close, WTF. Yea, and 3rd world don’t be hypocritical. You left your large family to be on your cheap club med.
GregT on Fri, 3rd Aug 2018 9:19 am
“Total anti-western BS.”
Dooma, Cloggie, and Makati1 are spot on Davy.
In general, we here in North America have traded strong family and community bonds, for greed and affluence.
One would have to be completely delusional to deny that reality.