--- ---  # How Humans Used Up a Year of Natural Resources In Under 9 Months ## Video: Is Climate Change Causing Extreme Weather? [Watch (HLS stream): Is Climate Change Causing Extreme Weather?](https://cdn.jwplayer.com/manifests/LQufbOt9.m3u8) (2:04)  _Published 2013-11-11. Is the frequency of extreme weather events a sign that global warming is gaining pace and exceeding predictions? Climate scientist Bill Patzert explains._  by [Justin Worland](https://time.com/author/justin-worland/)  ## Justin Worland Senior Correspondent Aug 14, 2015 3:30 PM UTC  Bulldozer working on landfill site,UK Bulldozer working on landfill site,UKGetty Images  by [Justin Worland](https://time.com/author/justin-worland/)  ## Justin Worland Senior Correspondent Aug 14, 2015 3:30 PM UTC We’re not even nine months into 2015, but by Wednesday humans had consumed an entire year’s worth of natural resources since Jan. 1, according to the Global Footprint Network. To determine the precise day, known as Earth Overshoot Day, researchers estimate the number of biologically productive acres across the globe. This land absorbs damaging actions human take against the environment, such as the release of greenhouse gases into the atmosphere. The researchers then calculate the amount of land humans would _need_ to make up for all those damaging actions. Earth Overshoot Day is the day when human demand on Earth exceeds the planet’s ability to absorb it. This year Earth Overshoot Day occurred six days earlier than last year. The Global Footprint Network says that overall, humans would require 1.6 planet earths to support our lifestyle. “We look at all the resource demands of humanity that compete for space, like food, fiber, timber, et cetera, then we look at how much area is needed to provide those services and how much productive surface is available,” Mathis Wackernagel, president of the Global Footprint Network [told](http://news.nationalgeographic.com/2015/08/150813-earth-overshoot-day-earlier/) _National Geographic_. Carbon emissions, a key driver of climate change, represent the largest contributor to the human ecological footprint. While global carbon emissions continue to grow, humans continue to destroy the forests and other natural resources that absorb carbon. Efforts to halt climate change have primarily focused on stemming carbon emissions, as will a landmark United Nations conference on the topic late this year. Global Footprint Network researchers incorporate many factors in their estimates, but the group acknowledges that an exact date would be difficult to calculate with precision. “Earth Overshoot Day is meant as an approximation rather than an exact date,” the group says on its [website](http://www.overshootday.org/newsroom/media-backgrounder/). “Still, the data shows that humanity’s demand on nature is at an unsustainable level — one year is no longer enough to regenerate humanity’s annual demand on the planet.” Earth Overshoot Day 2015: How Humans Used a Year's Worth of Resources ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/3997388/earth-overshoot-day-2015/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/3997388/earth-overshoot-day-2015/"},"headline":"How Humans Used Up a Year of Natural Resources In Under 9 Months","datePublished":"2015-08-14T15:30:11.000Z","dateModified":"2026-08-04T07:58:09.734Z","description":"This week's 'Earth Overshoot Day' marked the date our consumption outgrew our natural resources","url":"https://time.com/3997388/earth-overshoot-day-2015/","keywords":["climate change","Environment"],"thumbnailUrl":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt1a24d4270f6c8d5f/69885f518e06014178461e08/landfill-bulldozer.jpeg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Justin Worland","jobTitle":"Senior Correspondent","url":"https://time.com/author/justin-worland/"}],"articleSection":"Science","image":[{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt1a24d4270f6c8d5f/69885f518e06014178461e08/landfill-bulldozer.jpeg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","width":1200,"height":675,"headline":"landfill bulldozer","caption":"landfill bulldozer","creditText":"Getty Images","representativeOfPage":true}],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Time","url":"https://time.com/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://time.com/images/logo.png","width":528,"height":156},"foundingDate":"March 3, 1923","sameAs":["https://www.facebook.com/time","https://www.instagram.com/time/?hl=en","https://twitter.com/time","https://www.pinterest.com/timemagazine"]}},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"item":{"@id":"/section/science/","name":"Science"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"item":{"@id":"/tag/climate-change/","name":"climate change"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/3997388/earth-overshoot-day-2015/","name":"How Humans Used Up a Year of Natural Resources In Under 9 Months"}}]},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"VideoObject","name":"Is Climate Change Causing Extreme Weather?","description":"Is the frequency of extreme weather events a sign that global warming is gaining pace and exceeding predictions? 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