Today marks Earth Overshoot Day 2018, the date when humanity has used more ecological resources and services than our planet can renew for this year.

Since the event first started, a worrying trend has been observed with Earth Overshoot Day falling on an earlier date almost every year. In 2000, Earth Overshoot Day was celebrated in October, last year the day was celebrated on 2 August.

At present we are currently using the Earth’s ecological resources and services approximately 1.7 times faster than the earth can reproduce them, or to phrase it alternatively, we are using 1.7 Earths.

By 2050, it is estimated that eighty percent of the world’s population will live in cities, and with urban areas accounting for 60 to 80% of global energy consumption and around the same share of CO2 emissions, they have a responsibility to take the lead in moving Earth Overshoot day back.

Many of our Members have already begun to take the lead in helping to do this through setting themselves the ambitious target of reaching carbon neutrality - Copenhagen (Denmark) hopes to achieve this by 2025, Turku (Finland) by 2029, Oslo (Norway) by 2030 and Reykjavik (Iceland) by 2040.

These targets and goals are also supported and encouraged by ICLEI globally and most recently through our ICLEI Montréal Commitment and Strategic Vision, which was adopted by the ICLEI Council in June. ICLEI's vision is to aim for climate neutrality in government infrastructure and operations before mid-century.

For more information about Earth Overshoot Day, click here.