From Stephanie Feldstein, Population and Sustainability Program Director |
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Earth Overshoot Day is the date when humanity has used up nature’s annual budget of ecological resources. In other words, it’s the date when our consumption of nature slips past nature’s ability to regenerate. This year global Earth Overshoot Day is July 30, nearly five months before the year’s end.
Humanity is using nature 73% faster than Earth’s ecosystems can regenerate. At this rate we’d need 1.73 Earths. This overuse is possible because we’re depleting natural capital in the form of deforestation, soil erosion, biodiversity loss, and the accumulation of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere — we’re in debt to the planet. It’s possible to move the date of Earth Overshoot in the right direction. Cutting carbon emissions from fossil fuels by 50% would, for example, move the date by three months. Read on to learn more about the Center’s work to reduce single-use plastic consumption, our upcoming childfree webinar, and how we’re fighting to protect imperiled queen conches. |
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Crowded Planet: Scientists in England followed two beavers after they were released into a national park. Over a five-year period, the beavers built six dams — one was the biggest in England — which helped reduce downstream flooding and increased diversity in plants, mammals (including bats), amphibians, and dragonflies in the area.
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Half-Baked Handouts to the Beef Industry |
Late last month the U.S. Department of Agriculture announced it will provide up to $500 million to small- and mid-size beef processors to support “stronger and more stable market opportunities for American ranchers.” This came after President Donald Trump signed an executive order drastically increasing beef imports from Argentina.
“This taxpayer-funded gift to the beef industry doesn’t change the fact that the Trump administration’s policies have been a disaster for small and independent ranchers,” said Jennifer Molidor, the Center’s senior food campaigner. “People are struggling to afford gas and groceries while Trump’s USDA cooks up more half-baked handouts. Beef is failing because people don’t want pricey food that’s polluting the planet and driving the mass extinction of wildlife.”
Here’s one thing you can do: Meat-heavy diets threaten the planet, but Americans eat four times the global average in beef. See our extinction facts label to learn about one hamburger’s real cost to wildlife and the planet. |
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A Discussion on Confronting Pronatalism |
Social pressure to have children can undermine reproductive rights and drive population growth that fuels the climate and extinction crises. In honor of International Childfree Day, the Center and Population Balance are hosting a webinar to discuss challenging this ideology and uplifting reproductive choice.
Featuring women from diverse backgrounds and in different stages of life, the webinar will explore how each woman navigated pronatalist pressures and made informed reproductive decisions. Here’s one thing you can do: Join us for the free webinar on Thursday, July 30, from noon to 1:15 p.m. EDT / 11 a.m. to 12:15 p.m. CDT / 9 to 10:15 a.m. PDT. Register now. |
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Reuse Is Allowed in Most U.S. Restaurants |
Plastic throwaway containers have become a part of our everyday lives. In fact, half the plastic created globally goes to make single-use packaging. But people can fight this threat by bringing their own reusable cups and leftover containers when dining out, Center Senior Campaigner Kelley Dennings explained in an op-ed for The Invading Sea.
In Florida, where Kelley lives, the food code encourages the use of reusable beverage and food containers when safety guidelines are followed. But it’s not just Florida where reuse is permissible. Any state that has adopted the 2013, 2017, or 2022 food code — 46 states in total — allows this type of reuse.
Here’s one thing you can do: If you live in one of the 46 states that allows reuse in restaurants, check out this downloadable flier for more details. (It’s tailored to Florida but applicable to your state too.) |
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New Dietary Guidelines Linked to Higher Emissions |
When the Trump administration released its Big-Ag-friendly update to the Dietary Guidelines for Americans early this year, it was met with trepidation from dietitians, environmentalists, and everyone in between. Ignoring the science-based recommendations of their own advisory committee, the new guidelines prioritize meat, poultry, dairy, and eggs above plant sources of protein; recommend red meat and full-fat dairy; and push for increased consumption of protein and “healthy” fats from animal products.
Animal agriculture is already a leading driver of climate change, and a new study shows just how much environmental harm could result from following the new guidelines. Researchers found that the recommended increase in animal-based protein would lead to as much as a 32% increase in greenhouse gas emissions, land use, and nitrogen fertilizer, producing “environmental harm across most key metrics relative to the prevailing U.S. diet.”
Here’s one thing you can do: Check out the Uncompromised Dietary Guidelines for Americans and A Model for Healthy and Sustainable Dietary Guidelines for Americans, which show what the nutritional recommendations should look like had they followed scientific consensus and addressed environmental sustainability.
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Growing Populations Face the Biggest Climate Threats |
While the declining U.S. birth rate often makes headlines, the world’s population is still growing and is projected to increase through most of the century. Populations in the 80 countries most vulnerable to climate change are growing at an average of 1.6% per year — twice the global average. Populations in 17 of these countries are increasing at more than three times the global average. Rapid population growth exacerbates climate change vulnerability, and gender inequity leaves many women and girls disproportionately affected by climate change
A new report by Population Institute seeks to understand population growth trends and how they overlap with climate vulnerability to enhance the rights and resilience of those most affected. The Center’s innovative sexual health emergency preparedness kits are highlighted as one way to support vulnerable people and help fill this resiliency gap.
Here’s one thing you can do: Check out our sexual health emergency preparedness kit how-to guide to learn about bringing the kits to your community. |
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Wildlife Spotlight: Queen Conch |
Queen conches are iconic sea snails found off the coasts of Puerto Rico, the U.S. Virgin Islands, and Florida. Known for their large, spiral-shaped shells with striking pink interiors, the conches move by hopping and can retract their soft bodies into their shells to avoid predators. The snails have highly developed eyes fixed atop two independently mobile stalks that peek out from within their shells.
Queen conches were designated as threatened under the federal Endangered Species Act back in 2024, yet NOAA Fisheries has failed to finalize legally required critical habitat protections for the species. So this month the Center sued the agency to force it to do its job and keep queen conches from going extinct.
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Center for Biological Diversity
P.O. Box 710
Tucson, AZ 85702
United States |
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