May 5, 2021 is German Overshoot Day, the day where we in Germany have used up our share of ecological resources that our planet can renew this year. For the remainder of 2021, we are taking an ecological loan to live and do business on a deficit. In other words, we in Germany need almost three times the resources that our planet can renew.
What’s the problem with this? We are putting this deficit on all people without asking, because the ecosystem knows no national borders and the effects of climate change are felt by everyone. That means we live and do business at the expense of others. But what will we do when our planet has no resources left? We can’t leave this problem to the future!
Here’s a very strong call to act now: The Federal Constitutional Court of Germany ruled that the Federal Climate Act is unconstitutional because freedoms and fundamental rights are being violated already today by inadequate climate protection.[1]
So, let’s not wait but act now: Climate change is both the symptom and cause of overshooting our ecological budget. It’s caused by greenhouse gas emissions, about which in Germany 88% is carbon dioxide (CO2)[2].
As Agile Coaches we look at this challenge through the lens of agile principles and values. We believe that we need more action on these values in the world of business, to reduce our CO2 footprint: