From Thursday, humanity lives on credit for the year 2021. The inhabitants of the Earth have indeed consumed more resources than the planet can regenerate over a year.
To measure this state of affairs, scientists study the vital signs of the Earth using 31 criteria.
And they warn that the point of no return is about to be reached.
It is this Thursday that Humanity knows the sad Day of the Overshoot.
Humans live, for the remainder of 2021, on credit.
They have indeed already consumed all the resources that our planet is capable of regenerating in a year.
Today falls as researchers warn of the weakening of the planet's vital signs.
As with a human being where we check his blood pressure, his cholesterol level, or his heart rate, scientists have developed criteria to ensure the good health of the planet.
There are 31 in all.
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Among them, the best known is undoubtedly greenhouse gas emissions.
We also find the temperature of the ocean or the state of the sea ice.
And this year, more than half of the categories, 18, have reached records.
Methane concentrations are thus higher than ever, glaciers are melting 31% faster than 15 years ago and deforestation in the Amazon is such that the forest now emits more CO2 than it absorbs.
"When we damage certain ecosystems too much, we can no longer go back"
The risk, according to scientists, is to reach irreversible weighbridges.
"When we damage certain ecosystems too much when we emit too much carbon, behind we can do what we want, we can no longer go back, we have effects that are self-sustaining and we can no longer control anything", alert Arnaud Gauffier, program director at WWF France.
"This famous tipping point in the Amazon, it is set by some scientists, around 120-23% deforestation of the entire Amazon massif. We are not far."
Other tipping points that worry researchers: Melting ice caps in Antarctica could become irreversible and coral reefs may never be saved.
Eliminate fossil fuels, reduce greenhouse gas emissions, or favor vegetarianism
In some parts of the planet, the warming is such that humans can no longer live there.
According to an IPCC report, which will be published in early August, two places in the world threaten human survival.
The first is in Ras Al Khaimah, in the Persian Gulf and the other is in Pakistan where the combination of high heat and humidity prevents the body from sweating and causes overheating that can lead to death in six hours.
The situation is therefore dramatic. As a solution, scientists are advancing several avenues, such as eliminating fossil fuels, reducing greenhouse gas emissions, or favoring vegetarianism. But according to these researchers, the most important thing is to react as quickly as possible and no longer tackle each symptom in isolation, an ambitious policy is needed to address the source of the problem, the overexploitation of the planet by humans. .