17 May 2019

Today is the UK’s Earth Overshoot Day. That means, if everyone lived like we do in the UK, the planet would have used up a year’s worth of its ecological resources in just 128 days [1].

The Greens/EFA group in the European Parliament has consistently set the agenda and made real, concrete changes to protect our planet and its rich biodiversity.

Jean Lambert, London’s Green MEP, explains why this is so important in the video above (also available on YouTube here).

You can read the full transcript of the video below.

Jean Lambert said:

Have you heard of Earth Overshoot Day? It marks the day when humanity has consumed more from nature than our planet is able to renew during the entire year. From that day until 31st December, humanity is stealing resources from the future to run today’s economy. Last year it fell on 1st August, and it’s likely to fall on a similar date this year.

But today – 17th May 2019 – would mark Earth Overshoot Day if everybody in the world consumed like we do in the UK. This pace of resource consumption is dangerously high, and it’s completely unsustainable.

We’re now learning more and more about the cost of this ecological overspend. Just last week, the UN warned that the biomass of wild mammals has fallen by 82%, natural ecosystems have lost about half of their area, and a million species are at risk of extinction – largely as a result of human actions.

We should be panicking. But it’s clear that most world leaders would prefer to shut their eyes and pretend this earth-shattering crisis isn’t happening on their watch.

Now it’s time to wake up. Here in the EU, we have no option but to transition towards a circular economy – a new social and economic system which prioritises minimising waste and making the most of the Earth’s precious resources.

This includes putting an end to our dependency on fossils (both fossil politicians and fossil fuels!) and moving towards more sustainable options.

It also requires investing funds into new green technologies, rather than continuing to pour money into filthy polluters that pump out toxic fuels, like granting fracking licenses or expanding Heathrow airport.

During my 20 years in the European Parliament, Greens have consistently set the agenda and made real, concrete changes to protect our planet and its rich biodiversity. We’ll keep up this fight because unless we change the way we’re living now, it’s future generations who will pick up the tab.

Notes:

[1] https://www.overshootday.org/newsroom/country-overshoot-days/