Germany has already used up all of the natural resources that should last for the entire year.
The date, known as Earth Overshoot Day, is calculated annually by the Global Footprint Network for individual countries and for the planet as a whole.
If everyone on Earth consumed as many natural resources and produced as much carbon dioxide as people in Germany, the planet’s annual biocapacity would already be exhausted within the first third of the year.
According to the German Federation for the Environment and Nature (BUND), Germany consumes far too many resources, mainly because of its heavy reliance on fossil fuels. The main contributors are energy-intensive industries, the building sector, road transport and industrial livestock farming.
As a result, the consequences are already being felt through droughts, heavy rainfall and increasing heat in cities.
“Our current way of living and doing business is not sustainable,” BUND chairman Olaf Bandt said. “Instead of switching to renewables, we are continuing to rely on coal, oil and gas.”
Electricity from solar and wind power, along with heat pumps and lightweight, small and efficient electric cars, would instead provide independence, planning certainty and climate protection, Bandt said.
In 2025, Germany’s Earth Overshoot Day fell on May 3. The fact that the date shifted back by a week in 2026 was not the result of a more environmentally friendly lifestyle, but updated data and changes in calculation methods.
