Earth Overshoot Day 2024
Earth Overshoot Day is the day in the year when humanity’s use of planetary resources and ecological services in a given year exceeds what Earth’s ecosystems can regenerate or replace in that year.
In 2024, it falls on 1 August which is the cross-quarter festival of Lammas. The name is derived from the Anglo Saxon ‘Loaf Mass’ and is a celebration of the first of the harvests, which is the grain harvest. We remember how each year we are blessed with the harvest that gives us our daily bread.
This year when Lammas coincides with Earth Overshoot Day we give thanks for the staples of life, without which we would not survive, and also lament that our overconsumption results in other harvests failing, both now and for our descendants.
At one church, the church bell will be tolled 100 times to signify how many extra parts per million of carbon are in the atmosphere above that which every generation of humanity has thrived on.
In 2021 Green Christian board member, Andii Bowsher, wrote a liturgy to be used in part or in whole for penitential-feeling gatherings for prayer.
The materials are made available under Creative Commons licence to be freely used for non-profit purposes though please acknowledge the source with a link to the page. Do adapt for this year and your situation.
Led prayer
Andii led us in prayer using this liturgy online at on Earth Overshoot Day 29 July 2021
Do watch and pray along with the recording of this session here:
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Comments on "Earth Overshoot Day 2024"
Andii:
Earth overshoot day in 2021 was 29 July. In 2022 it's a day earlier. For the UK Overshoot day is in May.
Editor 1:
Earth Overshoot Day 2022 is 28 July
Andii Bowsher:
That's a fear many of us share, Iain. It's the kind of fear that drives me/us to pray ...
Iain Climie:
Ultimately I fear that nobody will address the real problem which is that a combination of human numbers and impact per head & household need to fall. Put brutally, given the disproportionate consumption in richer countries, the world's wealthy and well-off (including me) need to accept reduced living standards, have fewer kids and even be more philosophical about going in a box one day. Is it ever going to happen?An alternative approach would be to provide goods and services in far less wasteful ways. Sadly that means drastically overhauling an economic system too dense with having enough and which boils down to "make more money, buy more stuff". Again long odds against but I'd be happy to consider other options.
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