May 3 marked the end of the road for Germany – at least in terms of the planet’s annual available resources. That’s what the chart from Global Footprint Network’s Country Overshoot Day 2025 shows.

Germany would need three earths

If everyone lived like the Germans, the global ecosystem would be overwhelmed by the beginning of May. This puts the EU country in the top third of “overconsumers,” sharing the dubious distinction with countries such as Italy (May 6), Switzerland (May 7), and the U.S. (March 13).

Once again, Qatar tops the list: their National Overshoot Day is February 6. Specifically, if the entire world lived at Qatar’s level of resource consumption, we would need almost six planets to sustainably meet our needs. (For Germany, the number is three.) High energy consumption – mainly due to air conditioning, desalination plants and fossil fuels – is a major contributor.

On the other hand, there are countries whose lifestyles remain within the planetary boundaries. For example, countries such as India, Indonesia, and Ecuador are not included in the current 2025 overview – not because they were not included, but because their resource consumption is so low that no overshoot day needed to be identified. This shows that even large and populous countries can operate within the global budget.

Minimize your carbon footprint when you travel

What does this have to do with travel? Quite a lot! Read this blog post to learn how you can feel the effects of climate change when you travel. And learn how to minimize your impact.

Because even when you’re on vacation, you can make more conscious choices: travel sustainably, choose fair accommodations, use public transportation, or look for local products.

Sounds like a sacrifice? It doesn’t have to be. On the contrary, sustainable travelers often discover more authentic places, eat better, and meet people who really want to make a difference. And that’s what we want from travel, right?