Sustainable Population Australia Expert Alert: Earth Overshoot Day, 24 July

Sustainable Population Australia

Embargo: 21 July
Media Release: 23 July

On Earth Overshoot Day, Sustainable Population Australia (SPA) is urging national and global leaders to confront the unsustainable pace of population growth - a primary but often neglected driver of climate change, biodiversity loss, and global inequality.

Earth Overshoot Day signifies the point in the year when humanity's demand for ecological resources and services exceeds what the Earth can regenerate within that year.

SPA experts are available to comment on a range of topics relating to WPD.

Available to comment: 

Mr Peter Strachan, National President, Sustainable Population Australia
Contact:  0412 400 952 (from 06:30am AWST);  [email protected]

Comments attributable to Mr Strachan:

“Each year, Earth Overshoot Day arrives earlier, moving from 30^th December in 1970 to 24^th July this year.”

“Humanity is degrading the Earth’s fragile web of life. The addition of 4.5 billion humans on Earth since 1970, when humanity first past overshoot, has consumed more of its resources each year than can be sustainably supplied.”

“Like a bird that defiles its nest, humans have polluted Earth’s waterways and oceans, emitted climate changing gases, reduced the numbers of insect pollinators by 73 per cent and our food demands have emptied inland seas, while destroying forests and soils. This does not end well.”

Mr Michael Bayliss, Spokesperson and Communications Manager, Sustainable Population Australia

Contact:  0423 701 611 (from 7:00am AWST);  [email protected]

Comments attributable to Mr Bayliss:

 “It is sobering to reflect that 1970 was the last time in which globally, we were living in balance in nature.  In each of the 55 years since, we have been stealing from future generations in order to satisfy our collective greed and obsession for growth.”

“It is our obsession with growth, whether this be population or economic growth -within a finite planet - which is pushing us beyond what the planet can sustain.  We are experiencing the consequences of this growth addiction now, including climate change, multiple cost of living crises, a destabilised global political environment and the decimation of every other species on the planet, flora and fauna.”

“Ultimately, only by embracing planned Degrowth economies, together with stabilising and slowly declining human populations, do we have any chance of saving the planet for future generations. Green growth is a delusion.”

SPA is an independent not-for-profit organisation seeking to protect the environment and our quality of life by ending population growth in Australia and globally, while rejecting racism and involuntary population control. SPA is an environmental advocacy organisation, not a political party.

For more SPA media stories visit our media release page:  https://population.org.au/media-releases/