In this lesson, students explore Earth Overshoot Day. This objective is that students will learn that the minimum threshold for sustainability (supply and demand of natural resources) can be measured and turned into useful data. Looking at some specific country data chosen by their teacher, students learn that consumption per capita varies country by country. They will also have the opportunity to look at climate change and greenhouse gases (GHG) from a unique angle: they will discover that carbon emissions make up the largest component of the Ecological Footprint (globally and in most countries), and will start thinking of carbon emissions in relation to the area of forestland required to absorb them.
Organization: Global Footprint Network
Global Footprint Network is an international nonprofit organization founded in 2003 that advances the science of sustainability to change how the world manages its natural resources. They create metrics that are meaningful and scalable, actionable insights about natural resource consumption and capacity, and tools to guide informed decisions (Source).