It is possible to reduce the ecological debt, but this should not be a result of a pandemic, stated Slovak President Zuzana Čaputová on Saturday to mark the Earth Overshoot Day. She added that the reduction of the debt should be driven by a transformation of production and positive changes in consumption.
The 2020 Earth Overshoot Day occurred three weeks later than in 2019. "This would be a great piece of news, if it were due to a change in attitude by humanity towards the protection of the planet, and not as a result of restrictions in transport, production and other human activities during the pandemic," stated Čaputová on Facebook. "It's our duty to live in such a way that wouldn't increase the ecological debt which will be inherited by the generation to come," added the Slovak president.
The day represents an imaginary point when humanity's demand exceeds what Earth can regenerate in every given year. This year, it was on August 22 for the entire world, but for Slovakia it was on May 21.
