How can we push back Earth Overshoot Day?
Sustainability image: iStock and Monique Shaw
Earth Overshoot Day, the day on which humanity has used all the natural resources that the Earth can regenerate in a single year, falls on 30 July this year. Three researchers from Leiden explain how this date can be pushed back.
From stricter rules on plastic and fast fashion to more energy-efficient software and circular steel, the researchers believe there is no single solution. Reducing waste, designing more intelligently and making sustainable political choices could all help lower our demands on the Earth.
Better steel recycling
‘As a scientist, I’m not wholly convinced by the methodology behind Earth Overshoot Day, but its strength lies in the attention it attracts. It clearly illustrates how, at a structural level, we are demanding more from the Earth than it can restore.
‘A key part of the solution lies in using natural resources more intelligently. In research into green steel, for example, we are looking at how to recycle far more steel from scrap, so that less new iron ore needs to be extracted from the ground.
‘That may sound straightforward, but steel recycling is complex: old steel often contains impurities such as copper, which disrupt the production process. That’s why collaboration between academia and industry is so important.
‘Having said that, we have to be aware of the hidden environmental damage behind sustainable technologies. Rare earth elements are needed for the magnets used in electric cars and wind turbines, and entire mountainsides in Myanmar are being stripped bare to obtain them. Chemical solutions are flushed through the ground to extract small quantities of minerals from the mountains, devastating forests and ecosystems.
‘This is why research into more efficient magnets is so important: if we can produce the same technology with fewer of these critical elements, we can also reduce the damage caused elsewhere in the world.’
René Kleijn, Professor of Industrial Ecology
Reading tip: How a small amount of rare earth metal shapes the environmental impact of magnets
Make political choices
‘At a global level, it’s clear how difficult it is to reach agreements on plastic and waste. Negotiations on an international plastics treaty have been ongoing for years, but countries just can’t agree on measures to reduce plastic pollution.
‘Fortunately, much is happening at a local level. In the Netherlands, we have initiatives such as deposit schemes for cans and plastic bottles, but at the same time much recycling amounts to downcycling into low-quality plastic: yet another black bollard, I often say.
‘At a higher level, the EU is working on the “right to repair”, and new regulations should reduce packaging waste. But the corporate lobby plays a huge role in all of this: environmental regulations are regularly weakened or delayed because of pressure from industry.
‘We should also take a more critical look at the huge volumes of fast fashion entering Europe. This is controversial within the free trade sector, but these cheap products lead to a waste of natural resources and an ever-growing mountain of waste.
‘We need to make clear political choices. As Europe is such a big market, European regulations could have a global impact: if producers wish to continue selling their products here, they will have to adapt.’
Esther Kentin, assistant professor at the Institute for the Interdisciplinary Study of the Law
Reading tip: Old stuff should save the faltering European economy (NOS) (in Dutch)
Greener software
‘More efficient software can save significant amounts of energy. The ASTRA Toolbox, software used for CT scans and 3D image reconstruction, is a good example. Such applications require a great deal of computing power and are used worldwide with many other software packages.
‘Our research group develops tools that help programmers automatically optimise software for specific hardware. These tools are open source, allowing developers around the world to use them, which means their impact isn’t limited to a single university or research group.
‘AI not only creates new challenges – it also offers opportunities: we use it to find more efficient solutions than programmers might develop themselves.
‘People often assume that sustainability inevitably means things become slower or less powerful, whereas it’s really about optimisation: what choices you make in software to ensure the hardware is used as efficiently as possible.
‘By designing efficient software and making energy consumption measurable and transparent, we can reduce the environmental impact of scientific research and large-scale computer simulations.’
Ben van Werkhoven, assistant professor at LIACS
Reading tip: Publication by Statistics Netherlands (CBS) about planetary boundaries (in Dutch)
The date of Earth Overshoot Day is announced each year on 5 June, World Environment Day. It is an initiative of the international sustainability organisation Global Footprint Network.
This article relates to one of Leiden University’s 15 interfaculty themes: sustainability and biodiversity. Researchers in this field are working in this domain to keep our planet healthy in a fair and responsible way.