TORONTO, Monday, July 30, 2019 – This year’s Earth Overshoot Day is Aug. 1, calculated as the day when humanity will begin to consume more of nature’s products and services than can be sustainably regenerated in a year. That means people are consuming resources 1.7 times faster than nature can renew itself, said York University Faculty of Environmental Studies Interim Dean Ravi de Costa.

Global Footprint Network, which partnered with York University earlier in the year, has calculated Earth Overshoot Day since the early 1970s. The calculation uses international statistics about humanity’s use of nature for food, fibre, forest products, land for infrastructure, and emissions of greenhouse gases – and compares this with the amount of land available to sustain this use. Details are available at www.overshootday.org.

York University experts are available to talk about sustainability and what Earth Overshoot Day means, the cost to the environment and how this day has changed since the 1970s.

• Eric Miller teaches ecological economics in the Faculty and can speak about the detailed calculations and what the results mean for Ontario and Canada. He is a member of Ontario’s Biodiversity Council and is the former top economist at the Ministry of Natural Resources.
• Ravi de Costa is the Interim Dean of the Faculty and can speak about the partnership with Global Footprint Network and the academic and research opportunities it presents.

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York University is known for championing new ways of thinking that drive teaching and research excellence. Our students receive the education they need to create big ideas that make an impact on the world. Meaningful and sometimes unexpected careers result from cross-discipline programming, innovative course design and diverse experiential learning opportunities. York students and graduates push limits, achieve goals and find solutions to the world’s most pressing social challenges, empowered by a strong community that opens minds. York U is an internationally recognized research university – our 11 faculties and 26 research centres have partnerships with 200+ leading universities worldwide. Located in Toronto, York is the third largest university in Canada, with a strong community of 53,000 students, 7,000 faculty and administrative staff, and more than 300,000 alumni. York U's fully bilingual Glendon campus is home to Southern Ontario's Centre of Excellence for French Language and Bilingual Postsecondary Education.

Media Contact:

Sandra McLean, York University Media Relations, 416-736-2100 ext. 22097, sandramc@yorku.ca