Earth Overshoot Day 

Today is ‘Earth Overshoot Day’. This is the point in each year when humans have used up a full year’s worth of resources. Last year's overshoot day was 22nd August which is the latest it has been since 2005. This showed the impact of COVID-19 has had, with industry and commerce being closed or below capacity all over the world. We can see this year that date is edging back again, as the world reopens and returns to a new normal. We need to get back to a situation where Earth Overshoot Day actually falls into the following year. This would indicate that we are not only living sustainably but helping future generations.

Lauren Giller from our internal Green Network said:

"We at the Green Network recognise that the changes needed to address the climate and ecological crisis are profound, and we are excited to see a shift towards a carbon conscious mindset at individual and company level.

The impacts of the over-consumption of our limited resources are being seen globally already, with devastating heatwaves, wildfires and floods happening in the last few weeks. This is about justice for younger and future generations who will suffer the most from resources scarcity. The window to act is closing rapidly and it is in our power to make these changes happen."

At Bouygues E&S we are committed to achieving Net Zero Carbon status by 2025* and this includes supporting our clients and supply chain on their targets too. As an example, we have recently quantified the energy usage and carbon footprint of every office we have in our client premises so we can see how we can work with them to reduce it further. In addition we are working with our supply chain to ensure they are aligned with us on our goals and helping to raise their awareness through education sessions and webinars.

What can we all do to help push back Earth Overshoot Day? Have a look at our guide below for some ideas.

*Our Net Zero target for 2025 related to our Scope 1 and 2 emissions.