Spain will officially enter ‘ecological deficit’ on June 5, meaning the country will have consumed all the natural resources it can sustainably use for the entire year in just over five months.

The warning comes from environmental organisation Friends of the Earth (Amigas de la Tierra), which tracks the annual Earth Overshoot Day calendar – a measure of when humanity’s demand for natural resources exceeds what ecosystems can regenerate in a year.

According to the organisation, if everyone on Earth lived like the average person in Spain, humanity would need the equivalent of 2.5 planets to sustain current levels of consumption.

Living beyond the planet’s limits

From June 5 onwards, Spain will effectively be operating on environmental credit, consuming resources faster than nature can replace them.

The date places Spain among the world’s highest-consuming nations, although it still falls behind countries such as Qatar, which exhausted its annual share of natural resources as early as February 4.

At the other end of the scale is Honduras, which is not expected to reach its ecological overshoot day until November 27.

Friends of the Earth says the figures highlight a stark imbalance between wealthy and poorer nations.

‘The countries and social groups that consume the least are often those that suffer the most from the consequences of the ecological crisis,’ said Adriana Espinosa, the organisation’s head of natural resources and waste.

‘This is not only deeply unfair, it is also unsustainable.’

Concerns over Europe’s mining boom

The group is particularly critical of Europe’s growing demand for minerals needed for renewable energy, digital technologies and defence projects.

Espinosa argues that governments, including Spain’s, are focusing heavily on expanding mining operations while failing to tackle excessive consumption.

‘European governments are pursuing more mining both inside and outside Europe while largely ignoring the need to reduce mineral consumption,’ she said.

Environmental campaigners warn that increasing extraction risks damaging ecosystems and communities while undermining efforts to create a genuinely sustainable economy.

Calls for major lifestyle changes

Friends of the Earth is urging Spain to introduce binding targets to reduce resource consumption and rethink how the country approaches economic growth.

Among the measures proposed are greater investment in public transport, extending the lifespan of mobile phones and electronic devices, reducing dependence on mining and dramatically improving recycling rates.

The organisation claims improved recycling alone could meet up to 67% of Spain’s future mineral demand linked to the energy and digital transitions.

The announcement comes just one day before World Environment Day, a coincidence campaigners say should serve as a wake-up call.

‘This date reminds us that an economic system based on unlimited growth is incompatible with sustaining life on Earth,’ Espinosa said.