By Thursday, August 1, humanity will have consumed all the resources that nature takes a year to produce and renew.

Humanity will have consumed, on Thursday, August 1, all the resources that nature takes a year to produce and renew, WWF France announced in a press release. This means that from this date, “We would need 1.75 Earths in terms of surface area” to be able to regenerate what we consume. The date of this “overshoot day” is regularly brought forward. It was set for August 2 last year. According to WWF France, “If all humans consumed like the French, Earth Overshoot Day would be on May 7th” And “We would need almost three planets to support humanity.”

The NGO denounces a “excessive consumption of the planet’s natural resources” and particularly points the finger “modern intensive agriculture”, that she judges “highly mechanized, specialized and globalized.” This intensive agriculture “relies on the use of non-renewable resources, particularly fossil fuels”regrets WWF France. It denounces a “overproduction” Who “is accompanied by an increased dependence on the inputs necessary for this production”.

The NGO also deplores “the massive use of pesticides” and his “serious consequences for biodiversity and water quality in France”. “The reduction in pollinators and insects useful to crops threatens certain productions vital for our food sovereignty”laments WWF France, before adding that “Almost all of our agricultural and natural soils are now contaminated and largely damaged due to inappropriate agricultural practices.”

Faced with this, WWF France is calling “to sustainable agricultural practices and adapted public policies”. “It is essential to transform our farms and our territories”, he insists. He pleads in particular for “massively redirect the 9 billion euros per year of the Common Agricultural Policy” towards a “better financial security of the transition for the agricultural world”. The NGO also highlights the “agroecological systems” which allow to “limit the use of chemical fertilizers, pesticides and excessive soil cultivation.”