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 91ŃÇɫ’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 91ŃÇÉ« 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.

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Alumna Jay Pitter, grad students and Black urbanist placemakers collaborate on publication

TORONTO, March 18, 2021 – Spurred by the death of George Floyd, 91ŃÇÉ« alumna and award-winning placemaker brings her work in urban planning policy and anti-Black racism to the University to create a new resource – Engaging Black People and Power.

This powerful resource, developed in a Faculty of Environmental and Urban Change (EUC) graduate-level urban planning course of the same name taught by Pitter, will launch at a virtual event on March 22. Her forthcoming books, Black Public Joy and Where We Live, will be published later this year.

The project is a homecoming for Pitter, who completed her Master in Environmental Studies (MES) degree at 91ŃÇɫ and who was excited to work again with her former MES advisor Professor Anders Sandberg.

The course and the newly published resource draw on the seminal scholarship and ancestral example of . The students reviewed theoretical texts and paired up to interview leading Black urbanists, including the commissioner of New 91ŃÇÉ« City’s Department of Parks and Recreation, , an award-winning urban planner.

“Jay Pitter’s Engaging Black People & Power brings together EUC students with members of the Black urbanist community to learn about anti-Blackness in planning practices, and to set a path for more just and equitable cities. Such experiential education opportunities are pivotal steps in addressing anti-Black racism and realizing transformational change,” says EUC Dean Alice Hovorka.

The course highlights 10 case studies originating from these graduate student-led interviews, edited by Pitter, Sandberg and EUC Professor Luisa Sotomayor. Other project collaborators include EUC Professors Ute Lehrer and Roger Keil. The resource also features a case study of Anthony Taylor, Parks & Open Space commissioner for the Metropolitan Council of the Twin Cities in Minnesota, who has led numerous placemaking projects in his community, including the site where George Floyd died.

The publication identifies engagement practices and policy approaches for addressing spatialized anti-Blackness in cities across North America to address design, development, social justice and placemaking challenges. It also contains a living legend tribute to Silver, policy expert roundtable highlights, as well as recommendations and practical templates.

“Black ink on white pages, in response to Black blood on white streets, is not enough. A single publication cannot redress complex socio-spatial threats faced by Black communities. But it does play a small role in transforming long-standing conversations toward action,” says Pitter, a recent John Bousfield Distinguished Visitor in Planning at University of Toronto and a senior fellow at the Canadian Urban Institute.

The case studies, including those by 91ŃÇÉ« graduate students Selam Eyob and Jasmine Mohamed (see their article in magazine), exemplify forms of engagement with Black communities, including digital justice, development in blighted neighbourhoods, parks design, and creative placemaking with youth from Los Angeles’ most notorious rival gangs.

“The question of whose history matters, and historical preservation is a challenge all urbanists should be grappling with, in order to deepen their commitment and accountability to addressing anti-Black racism,” write Eyob and Mohamed. “The conversation with Mitchell Silver and the course overall left us thinking about how we can centre generosity as a key principle in our planning practice moving forward.”

The publication is expected to have wide-reaching impacts in shaping placemaking and urban planning as a resource for community organizations, scholars, policymakers, urbanists, students and academic institutions to address challenges in equitable city planning.

“Jay’s thought leadership continues to challenge policy makers, practitioners and city leaders to learn more about the legacies and ongoing implications of anti-Black racism in urbanism, and to work and build cities with people with the lived experience and insights needed to radically change the way our cities are built,” says Mary W. Rowe, president and CEO, Canadian Urban Institute.

The launch event details:

WHEN: Monday, March 22, noon to 1:15 pm

WHO: will deliver opening remarks, followed by Jay Pitter in conversation with Anthony Taylor, a living legacy tribute to and talk by , and more.

WHERE: Register for the webinar, hosted by 91ŃÇÉ« and the Canadian Urban Institute:

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91ŃÇɫ is a modern, multi-campus, urban university located in Toronto, Ontario. Backed by a diverse group of students, faculty, staff, alumni and partners, we bring a uniquely global perspective to help solve societal challenges, drive positive change and prepare our students for success. 91ŃÇÉ«'s fully bilingual Glendon Campus is home to Southern Ontario's Centre of Excellence for French Language and Bilingual Postsecondary Education. 91ŃÇɫ’s campuses in Costa Rica and India offer students exceptional transnational learning opportunities and innovative programs. Together, we can make things right for our communities, our planet, and our future. 

Media Contact:

Sandra McLean, 91ŃÇÉ« Media Relations, 416-272-6317, sandramc@yorku.ca

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