TORONTO, July 22, 2025 – Earth Overshoot Day (July 24) is more than a week early this year resulting from humanity’s growing ecological footprint amid trade wars and tariffs, which play a potential role in the ecological footprint of Canada and many others, says , director of the  in 91��ɫ’s Faculty of Environmental and Urban Change.

Trade can enable – and mask – the extent to which countries depend upon others for food and natural resources, says Miller, who is available to speak with media about Earth Overshoot Day and what it means for Ontario and the rest of Canada, and the world.

Researchers at 91��ɫ and the University of Iceland measured the “biocapacity” of all countries’ lands and waters, and how much of it was traded to support the ecological footprint of people in other countries. For example, Canadian forests, more than some 350 times the City of Toronto, were used to support the net imports of softwood lumber by the United States in recent years.

Trade patterns have changed over the years with some countries, such as Canada, exporting far more than they consume or in the case of Italy, importing more than they export, and these patterns could be changing further in this country as interprovincial trading ramps up.

The effect on each country’s ecological footprint can be seen in the most recent data from , including estimates for how well Canada fares. Canada uses a significantly larger ecological footprint for production than consumption.

“Humanity is using more resources than the Earth can regenerate in a year, and it has been doing so for the last half a century,” says Miller. “The amount we produce, consume and trade continues to increase as we use more resources.”

Close to one third of what the world produces today is not consumed domestically, but instead exported elsewhere, more than double what it was in 1961. Since this time, this amount has grown with only temporary small decreases following world financial crises and the pandemic.

Miller leads a team of researchers and graduate students to produce the  for the , a Canadian not-for-profit organization.

The latest dataset tracks ecological footprint and biocapacity at national and global levels, as well as individually, for 244 countries and territories on a national and trade basis, from 1961 to 2024. It also breaks it down by component, measuring production, imports and exports – trade – and consumption (imports minus exports).

There is a reliable timeline of data for 191 of those countries that allows researchers to see trends over time.

“Using this data allows us to generate the footprint for the national accounts but they also allow us to analyse trends in production and also trade, which has been in the news a lot lately,” says Kiona Lo, senior data analyst, International Ecological Footprint Learning Lab (IEFLL).

Ecological Footprint is the area of land and water people use to grow food and harvest renewable materials to sustain them, in addition to the area occupied by settlements and infrastructure and the area of forests needed to sequester human-generated carbon emissions. Biocapacity is a measure of the ecological potential of an area and includes fishing grounds, built-up land, such as buildings, houses, roads and other infrastructure, cropland, grazing land, and forest biocapacity (the forests’ capacity to supply forest products or to absorb carbon).

“Looking ahead 25 years, the year 2050 is significant as that’s when most of the countries in the world have committed to reaching net zero emissions. To achieve net zero emissions, and end overshoot, each country will need to have its ecological footprint within its biocapacity. That means by 2050 the amount of carbon emissions produced by burning fossil fuels, for example, should be no greater that what can be sequestered by the lands and waters of the planet,” says Miller.

Although the data shows consumption has slowed worldwide, it has still reached the highest ecological footprint since data keeping began.

“It raises the question of what level of reduction in ecological footprint is needed to achieve that worldwide. It’s a 2.1 per cent annual reduction in the world’s ecological footprint for the next 25 years. If we don’t change the current trajectory, it will be a significant challenge to reach the net zero emissions goal.”

Currently, the biocapacity of almost 1.8 Earths would be needed to sustain humanity’s ecological footprint.

The post Earth Overshoot Day arrives early with the flow of trade playing a large role appeared first on News@91��ɫ.

New goals and actions announced today demonstrate continued momentum

TORONTO, Nov. 23, 2023 – In 10 years, some trees can grow anywhere from 10 to 25 feet tall, so when 91��ɫ announces its goal to reach net zero emissions a decade sooner, it’s a target that can lead to a significant and positive impact on the environment – enough time for a forest to grow.

Today, 91��ɫ announced its new objective to reach net zero emissions by 2040, 10 years sooner than its original commitment. It’s a goal the whole University community is pitching in to meet through individual actions, research and innovative solutions and is one of the most ambitious net zero targets in the Canadian post-secondary sector. With a demonstrated history of sustainable efforts, the University is ahead even of some municipalities, and it already has a huge head start.

“The United Nations has stated that climate change is the defining issue of our time, and the world is at a pivotal moment requiring urgent action,” says 91��ɫ President and Vice-Chancellor Rhonda Lenton. “As an internationally recognized leader in sustainability, 91��ɫ has a responsibility to act on global challenges facing humanity, including ecological degradation, climate change and growing socio-economic inequality. The bold actions we are taking on our campuses, and in our local and global communities will build on the strong foundation we have created and move us closer to our goal of becoming one of the most sustainable institutions in Canada.”

Sustainability is embedded in all facets of university life and every new initiative will help drive it forward. Even before today’s announcement, 91��ɫ was a leader in sustainability. The University is on track to meet its goal of reducing emissions by 45 per cent by 2030, three years early, and recently opened applications for its new $1 million Sustainability Innovation Fund to support community-led projects toward a more sustainable future.

“The urgency for action to advance sustainability and climate initiatives has never been greater. Today’s announcement sets 91��ɫ on a course to build on an already strong reputation for advancing sustainability initiatives on campus, in our community and around the world,” says 91��ɫ Chief Sustainability Officer Mike Layton. “I look forward to working with faculty, staff and students to develop plans to help 91��ɫ achieve its gold and have impact in our world.”

It’s also transparent about its achievements. 91��ɫ is the first Canadian institution to compile and release data on its ecological footprint and emissions. The report by the provides the University more information than ever to identify new opportunities to reduce emissions and develop innovative solutions to support a more sustainable future.

Today’s event included a panel – The shrinking act: How 91��ɫ is using data and innovative solutions to shrink its footprint – moderated by Layton with , director, 91��ɫ’s Ecological Footprint Initiative in the Faculty of Environmental and Urban Change; Lassonde School of Engineering Associate Professor , Canada Research Chair in Reliable and Secure Power Grid Systems; Lassonde School of Engineering ; and Steve Prince, director, Utilities and Energy Management at 91��ɫ. There was also short play featuring two students from the theatre department of the School of the Arts, Media, Performance and Design and a brief video about sustainable travel – – from former Provostial Fellow, Schulich School of Business Professor .

More than $2 million from the federal government through its Decarbonization and Incentive Program will help 91��ɫ upgrade its Energy Management Information System. This will allow the University to integrate campus operations system data into an analytics platform that uses artificial intelligence to improve energy efficiency for heating and cooling and create student experiential learning opportunities to support its Campus as a Living Lab.

Earlier this year the University launched its Microlecture Series in Sustainable Living, an innovative, open access program that gives participants (more than 800 so far) the opportunity to learn from six of 91��ɫ’s world-renowned academic experts on a diverse range of topics related to sustainability. The series tasks participants with making tangible sustainability-focused changes in their daily lives based on tips from each professor towards earning a first-of-its-kind Digital Badge in Sustainable Living.

In addition, 91��ɫ has more than 1.2 million square feet of green buildings, has diverted 77 per cent of all waste generated from landfills and has the highest recycling rate of any post-secondary institution in Ontario. Through waste diversion, the University has prevented more than 26,000 metric tons of carbon from reaching the atmosphere – equivalent to planting more than 1.2 million trees or eliminating 61,800 barrels of oil. 

Through operational improvements, the University has avoided 35,500 tonnes of carbon dioxide per year since 2020 – equivalent to removing 7,900 gasoline powered cars from the road for a year. 

This is just the beginning.

The post 91��ɫ U bolsters its position as a leader in creating a more sustainable world appeared first on News@91��ɫ.