Amsterdam bans creation of new hotels
Another piece in the overall strategy to reduce tourist flows to the city
You won’t find it on your calendar and ideally, it should not even exist
Earth Overshoot Day falls on 28 July this year, a day earlier than last year. Marked by the international research organization Global Footprint Network, this initiative aims to bring attention to the impact that we as a population are having on Earth’s resources. In other words, today we have already used up all the resources that it takes for the planet to regenerate in one year.
Humans catch more fish and cut down more forest than the earth has available - to name just a few examples. In fact, we would have to have 1.75 Earths available to be in balance with nature. Back in 1970, for comparison, humanity used up its needed resources exactly in one year.
Bo Øksnebjerg, the secretary general of the WWF World Nature Fund, illustrates the resource footprint in another way:
“We are taking more from the planet than it can regenerate. We have 100 kroner (Danish currency) in nature's account, but we spend 170 kroner. And we do that year after year after year. If we continue in this way, it will result in food crises, water shortages and make us even more vulnerable to extreme weather phenomena and natural disasters. Therefore, there is no way around it: In the coming years, we must give more back to nature than we take. Otherwise, it will go wrong".
In 50 years, Earth Overshoot Day has moved five months reflecting the growth of population, growing economy and industrialization, all of which demand more resources from a finite planet.
Here's how the Earth Overshoot Day has been moving earlier in the year in the past half-century. Source: Global Footprint Network
However, there is a big difference in the ecological footprint that different countries leave on our planet. Countries such as Indonesia and Jamaica have some of the lowest footprints in the world, while Luxembourg, on the other hand, is in the most resource-demanding group of the world's countries.
Nevertheless, how much a country consumes and regenerates is not just a question of how developed it is. Smaller countries, for example, reach their national Overshoot Days earlier because the resources in their territories are limited.
Here are the top 10 countries in the world with the largest footprint:
From 2021 to 2022, the total ecological footprint has increased by 1.2 per cent, while the total biocapacity has only increased by 0.4 per cent.
The building will then serve as the site for a new museum dedicated to Finnish-Russian relations
Another piece in the overall strategy to reduce tourist flows to the city
The previous mayor was forced out of office following a no-confidence vote in the city council
In addition, the federal government has launched the National Week of Action against Bicycle Theft to raise awareness of the issue and the new solution
The facility will replace the need to have water supplied by tankers from Valencia
Modern traffic lights do more than regulate the flow of vehicles at crossroads, they also collect enormous amounts of data
It also set the standards for a better European parking card for people with disabilities
Everyone’s invited free of charge, but only after registration
Italian cities and regions continue experimenting with creative proposals to curb overtourism effects
It also set the standards for a better European parking card for people with disabilities
Italian cities and regions continue experimenting with creative proposals to curb overtourism effects
The building will then serve as the site for a new museum dedicated to Finnish-Russian relations
Urban dwellers across the EU are having a say in making their surroundings friendlier to people and the environment.
Forests in the EU can help green the European construction industry and bolster a continent-wide push for architectural improvements.
Apply by 10 November and do your part for the transformation of European public spaces
Catch up with some recommendations for the 2024 European Capital of Culture programme from the mayor of Tartu
An interview with the ICLEI regional director for Europe аfter the close of COP28
An interview with a member of the No Hate Speech Network team