What day of the year do you think we used up all the natural resources the Earth will produce this year?

According to the Global Footprint Network it was 23rd September this year and is (unsurprisingly) getting earlier every year. To put it another way, since 23rd September we have been living beyond our ecological means.

Now living beyond our financial means is something that many in the West have gotten quite used to. Even our governments do it. We see talentless “celebrities” living lavish lifestyles in the tabloids and think that we deserve that lifestyle too. Unfortunately, many who’ve fallen into this trap don’t have the celebrity income to pay for it. I watched In Debt We Trust (you can watch it here) last week. It highlighted to me again that we have developed this sense of entitlement in western culture – “the people on TV have fancy cars and the latest fashions so I deserve to have those things too”. However, just because you can’t afford doesn’t mean you shouldn’t have it, just put it on credit.

In recent months, we’ve started to see the fruits of our behaviour. The credit has dried up and people and businesses are feeling the force of a mess that has been repeatedly covered up by borrowing more (or by Gordon Brown manufacturing growth by redefining it).

How long before we have a similar ecological crunch?

Here’s a final thought – we now need 1.4 Earths per year for our existence to be ecologically sustainable. Until that number goes down to one, we are stealing from our children.