"Overshoot" is a term primarily used in the fields of electrical engineering and industrial safety. Because it refers to a controlled quantity exceeding its intended set point, the word "overshoot" is often used to describe situations in which a threshold thought to be a limit has been breached. In demography, for example, it refers to a situation in which the population exceeds what the environment can sustain. The same applies in the environmental context: when temperatures rise beyond the 1.5°C limit established by the Paris Climate Agreement, it is referred to as overshoot. The U.S.-based environmental nonprofit Global Footprint Network (GFN) has been announcing "Earth Overshoot Day" since the early 1980s. Earth Overshoot Day—the day when humanity's demand for ecological resources exceeds what the Earth can regenerate in that year—marks the date from which humanity is effectively using up the ecological resources of the future ahead of schedule. Since it is calculated based on humanity's demand for that year, Earth Overshoot Day changes every year. Therefore, whether the date moves forward or backward serves as an indicator of the severity of the crisis. Because the rate of ecological resource depletion and change varies by country, the Global Footprint Network also publishes country-specific overshoot days. In 2023, Earth Overshoot Day fell on August 2, while South Korea's overshoot day was April 2. South Korea's overshoot day ranks eighth among the countries assessed—on the earlier side—and the trend of it moving progressively earlier is a cause for concern. The relatively early date of South Korea's overshoot day is attributed to the country's relatively limited biological resources and its industry being weighted toward energy-intensive sectors.
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[Reference Article] [Global Trends] We Have Already Surpassed 1.5°C: What We Must Do Now