Remember July 29th 2019? For many it was just a manic Monday, or maybe the first day back at work after a holiday. But it was also Earth Overshoot Day.
This means that we have used more of our planet’s resources than it can renew in one year. We have used more ecological assets than nature can regenerate. We have emitted more carbon dioxide into the atmosphere than ecosystems can absorb.
This year, the Earth Overshoot Day was three days earlier than last year, making it the earliest in history. We have consumed more than our Earth can afford and for the rest of the year, we are operating on overshoot and borrowing resources from future generations. If something, this should make us all act and switch that milk in our coffee to plant-based.
To reduce carbon emissions and make overshoot history, we need to act circular. At the moment, only 9% of the world is circular and the gap between the circular and linear economies is not closing. This means that plenty of the resources we generate and use go to waste. With a global environment crisis, we have reached the point where waste and linear thinking are no longer fit.
Unfortunately, the progress towards circularity has been slow. Although new green and circular innovations are being designed all the time, the manufacturing, consuming and wasting of resources continues. However, in order to achieve the 1.5°C world we agreed to fight for in the Paris Agreement, circular thinking is not only an essential change all people, companies and countries need to make, but a precondition for global sustainability.
The e-waste issue
E-waste is among the biggest challenges in the global waste problem. 70% of the carbon emissions for laptops come from the manufacturing of new devices.According to a UN report, e-waste is the fastest growing waste stream in the world, reaching an estimated 50 million tonnes in 2018. But that 50 million tonnes is not worthless waste - on the contrary, it is material which is worth a lot of money and could be turned into even more if it was reused.
3 Step IT has been taking action in the circularity issue of e-waste for over 20 years by extending the lifecycle of laptops and mobile phones. We help organisations acquire and manage IT devices and in the end, give the devices a new life. This helps reduce e-waste and carbon emissions coming from the manufacturing of new devices. Take the first step in closing the loop by continuing the lifecycle of your IT. Learn about our solution here.
#MoveTheDate
There are problems, but there are also solutions. You can be one of them. Calculate your own carbon footprint and find out how you can reduce your emissions. Maybe it can be as simple as taking quicker showers or turning off the lights? Be part of the solution, not the problem.
The ecological budget is busting. We have all the tools and technology to change that. We know what to do, now we just need to do it.
More information:
Earth Overshoot Day
Earth Overshoot Day is hosted and calculated by Global Footprint Network, an international think tank that coordinates research, develops methodological standards and provides decision-makers with a menu of tools to help the human economy operate within the Earth’s ecological limits.
Read more about Earth Overshoot Day here.
The Circularity Gap
What’s up with the circular economy? What is the circularity gap and how can it be closed? Explore what needs to change in order to build a sustainable future.
Read the 2019 Circularity Gap Report here.
