Earth Overshoot Day is the day when—according to estimates—the total combined consumption of all human activity on Earth in a year overtakes the planet's ability to generate those resources for that year.
How is it measured ? "It's quite simple," says Dr. Mathis Wackernagel of the think tank Global Footprint Network. "We look at all the resource demands of humanity that compete for space, like food, fiber, timber, et cetera, then we look at how much area is needed to provide those services and how much productive surface is available."
Here's his bottom line metaphor. Earth Overshoot Day is like the day you spend more than your salary for a year, only you are all humans and your salary is Earth's biocapacity. Ideally, Overshoot Day would come after December 31. It wasn't too far off in 1970, when it occurred on December 23. But Overshoot Day creep has kicked in ever since. August 13 is the earliest yet—four days ahead of last year's previous record.
http://news.nationalgeographic.com/2015/08/150813-earth-overshoot-day-earlier/
(Score: 3, Interesting) by kurenai.tsubasa on Saturday August 15 2015, @04:47AM
I'd like to point out that this precludes the conscientious party animal woman who is in control of her own body… of which I cannot find many examples of over here in flyover country. Party animals, yes. Party animals who take advantage of the menagerie of resources to get the pill for free? No so many.
To that extent, your point stands!
I don't get it. It's this puritan narrative. We have the technology! Yet, so many say, “Shun the technology! Every sperm is sacred!” One could very well party, drink, smoke, do “drugs” (alcohol isn't a drug?) and get on the pill.
I was going to post a comment earlier, when I was more sober, about the perverse incentives of the USA welfare system. They base it all on when you had your last kid and how many kids you have. Thus, one needs to have kids at least once every 2–3 years as I understand it to get welfare benefits. There are women who actually game this system, with their own bodies! My former boyfriend's mother did it, and her daughter did it as well!
Here's what I truly don't understand about the puritan narrative. Every month I shed an egg without the pill. Can't help it. Just happens. If every incomplete set of DNA is sacred, then wouldn't the pill be a boon?! Logic and reality: it escapes the puritans.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Saturday August 15 2015, @10:53AM
If they were logic and reality based from the start, they would be religious anyway...