"Overshoot Day": Austria Has Already Consumed Its Natural Resources

The "Overshoot Day" of each country is calculated by experts from the "Global Footprint Network". It determines when the globally available "biocapacity" and the ecological "demand" for resources exceed the Earth's capacities.

"Overshoot Day": Austria ranks high

Austria is once again at the top of the resource consumption ranking. Qatar, by the way, took the least consideration for the Earth's reserves, with the state having its "Overshoot Day" as early as February 6th. Greenpeace described Austria's performance as an alarming wake-up call: "We are living beyond our means - at the expense of the climate, nature, and future generations. We must act now and move away from a wasteful economy to a system that protects the climate and nature and responsibly manages scarce resources," said the NGO's spokesperson, Ursula Bittner.

Criticism also came from Global 2000 and the Greens. "We are currently taking away the livelihoods of the next generation. It's not just about private consumption; large corporations, in particular, have a duty here. That's why the supply chain law is so important, because voluntary measures have proven not to work," stated the NGO's resource spokesperson, Anna Leitner. "From tomorrow, we will be living on credit in Austria," said Lukas Hammer, environmental spokesperson for the Greens, specifically referring to Austria's high land consumption.

Changed calculation method for "Overshoot Day"

While the Earth Overshoot Day for Austria on April 7th meant a consumption of 3.7 Earths, the calculated consumption this year rose to around 4.1. However, the method for calculating the year 2025 was changed, making comparability more difficult, reports Greenpeace. This change does not mean that Austria has suddenly consumed significantly more resources - it is mainly due to a changed calculation method:

Among other things, this year the CO2 allocation to international trade flows was adjusted. As a result, according to the NGO, the calculated footprint of countries like Austria increases, even if actual consumption has not necessarily changed. The Earth Overshoot Days of previous years are also recalculated retroactively - and could shift accordingly. This year's Earth Overshoot Day will be observed on July 24, and the last national "Overshoot Day" falls on December 17, with Uruguay being the positive last place.

Limits of the Ecological Footprint

"Biocapacity" includes biologically productive land and water areas of a country or worldwide (e.g., forests, cropland, pastures, fishing grounds, built-up areas), while the ecological "demand" represents the area needed to cover the consumption of a country or the world. This includes plant-based foods and fibers, animal products, fishery products, wood and other forest products, land for infrastructure and settlements, and forests to absorb CO2 emissions from fossil fuels.

Greenpeace, however, points out that the ecological footprint model, among other things, evaluates productivity unilaterally. "High yields per area would be considered positive, even if negative environmental impacts (e.g., pesticide use, soil depletion) are ignored - intensive monocultures thus perform better than organic farming," wrote the NGO. The hectare approach is also not suitable for depicting water consumption, biodiversity, waste, non-renewable resources, or toxic substances. Nevertheless, the Earth Overshoot Day and the ecological footprint are the most well-known indicators for conveying ecological sustainability and the physical limits of the planet.

Actions for "Overshoot Day" in Vienna

Several groups from the Austrian climate and environmental movement are drawing attention to the worsening resource waste on Saturday with a rally at Christian-Broda-Platz (1:00 PM - 3:00 PM) in Vienna-Mariahilf on the occasion of the "Overshoot Day." Announced by the participating groups such as Extinction Rebellion, Parents For Future, or LobauBleibt are speeches and artistic contributions intended to highlight the dramatic ecological situation.

(APA/Red)

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