Aotearoa Falls Behind Global Average – Switch To Paleo Could Help

Wednesday, 30 April 2025, 7:38 am
Press Release: Vegan Society

Earth Overshoot Day falls on 24th July this year, a stark reminder of how far humanity is from operating within planetary boundaries. However, for Aotearoa New Zealand, the picture is even bleaker: the national Overshoot Day arrives on 30th April. Shifting towards a plant-based diet and moving away from animal agriculture would move the date back into May, maybe even June?

Earth Overshoot Day marks the date when humanity's demand for ecological resources and services each year exceeds what Earth can regenerate in that year. It is calculated by dividing the planet’s biocapacity by our Ecological Footprint and multiplying the result by 365. Since its inception in 1971, Earth Overshoot Day has crept steadily earlier on the calendar—highlighting humanity’s deepening ecological debt.

“We should all be very concerned about this day, as it marks our sustainability, and Aotearoa is falling behind the rest of the world. Ministers may claim that we are the best, but the reality is we are amongst the worst.” Media spokesperson Claire Insley warned, “There are many simple solutions to mitigate climate change and to live within our global budget, the most powerful of which is to switch to a plant-based diet. Our ancestors predominantly ate plants and so we need to return to the true paleo diet, to allow our children a future”

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Only six years ago, Earth Overshoot Day was 29th July, meaning it has advanced by five days over six years. But New Zealand’s own Overshoot Day was 6th May in 2019: we have slipped six days further into overshoot, surpassing even Qatar, whose Overshoot Day has slipped by only 5 days and is 6th February, and China, on 23rd May.

How can we be worse than China—a country with 1.4 billion people and a major industrial base that manufactures much of the world’s goods?

This data reflects not only our high per-capita consumption, but also the reality that we are failing to meet our climate targets. Despite our clean, green image, Aotearoa is disproportionately contributing to ecological degradation and climate instability, compared to the global average.

This trajectory is unsustainable. Our continued ecological overspending contributes to biodiversity loss, deforestation, and climate change—all of which put our food systems, infrastructure, and future at risk.

What Can Be Done?

One of the most powerful and often overlooked solutions is a shift towards plant-based diets. Currently, 85% of global farmland is dedicated to animal agriculture, yet it contributes only 17% of global calories. A global shift to plant-based food systems could drastically reduce the pressure on our ecosystems, freeing up land for rewilding, reducing greenhouse gas emissions, and conserving water resources.

The Poore Report (2018) from Oxford University shows that a plant-based diet could cut individual food-related carbon footprints by up to 73%. If Aotearoa moved towards more sustainable food systems, it could significantly reduce our own ecological overshoot, contributing to a more sustainable and equitable future.

According to the Global Footprint Network, pushing the global Overshoot Day back by just five days per year would allow humanity to live within the planet's means by 2050. Their Power of Possibility platform outlines real-world actions that can shift the date:

· Halving food waste globally could move Earth Overshoot Day by 13 days.

· Transitioning to renewable energy could shift it by 26 days.

· Reducing carbon emissions by 50% could move it by over 90 days.

These are not just numbers—they are choices. Choices we can make through policy, innovation, and lifestyle shifts that prioritize ecological health and intergenerational justice.

Let’s #MoveTheDate – starting here in Aotearoa.

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