If we think of Earth's resources (资源) as a bank account, then we have already used up all the "money" that Earth saved for this year.
As of July 29, we have already used up as many natural resources as our planet can create in one year, CNN reported. This day even has a name: Earth Overshoot Day (EOD, 地球生态超载日).
The Global Footprint Network, a nonprofit (非营利的) organization based in the United States, Belgium(比利时） and Switzerland, calculates (计算) this day. It has been marking EOD since 1971 by keeping record of how much water, land, fish and forest we use, as well as how much CO2 we're emitting (排放).
Each year, the human population grows and more resources are used. That's why EOD has moved forward by more than two months over the last 20 years. This year, it fell on the earliest date yet – three days earlier than it did last year (Aug 1).
What can we do?
Human beings are now using natural resources 1.75 times faster than they can be renewed(再生), Quartz reported. This has affected the environment in a bad way. For instance, wildfires are becoming more frequent (频繁的). Cities around the world are running out of water. Up to 1 million species (物种) could die out thanks to human activity, Huff Post reported. However, humans are taking some small steps to deal with the problem. Countries like China and India are trying their best to green the planet. But there's still a very long way to go, Science Alert noted.
How much do we use?
Not all countries are equal when it comes to resource usage (使用). Some countries have used more resources than other countries. If everyone lived like Americans do, for example, we would need five Earths. Take a look.
