The Earth has only so many trees. There are only so many fish in the oceans. The amount of soil and freshwater is limited. Of course, trees can grow back, and fish can lay more eggs. Still, humans must be careful not to use Earth’s resources too quickly. Well, experts say we are doing just that.
An environmental group called Global Footprint Network (GFN) studies how humans use the planet’s resources. Those include plants, animals, and land. And GFN has bad news for nature. It said August 22 was Earth Overshoot Day for 2020. That means humanity has already used as much from nature as the planet can renew in the entire year.
This has been happening faster and faster over the years. In 1970, Earth Overshoot Day was in late December. Fifty years ago, it took until the very end of the year to use the amount of resources that the planet made in 12 months. Throughout the 1970s and 1980s and 1990s, the date kept pushing forward. It moved up to November... and October... and September... and August.
In 2018 and 2019, Earth Overshoot Day took place in July for the first time. This year, the date is back in August — more than three weeks later. That means we are using resources less quickly than in the past. But it’s not because we are being more careful. It is because of the coronavirus. As countries locked down around the globe, people used fewer resources — such as by cutting down fewer trees and burning less fuel.
Even with the slowdown from the virus, humans are still using more resources than 1.5 Earths could provide. And, of course, we cannot magically make the world a larger place. Many countries are also using more resources than others; if the whole world used resources like the United States of America, for example, then Earth Overshoot Day would have been back on March 14.
Mathis Wackernagel founded the Global Footprint Network. “We only have this one planet,” he said. “Most children understand that.” But he told News-O-Matic the problem: “Many adults, though, live as if this was not true.” Wackernagel called this “not healthy” for the Earth.
Laurel Hanscom, the leader of GFN, said this is “diminishing the planet for the young people.” Hanscom said, “Young people should have the right to as good a planet as the one the adults got when they were kids.” She added: “This is why many young kids have become the most effective leaders to speak up for protecting our planet.”
At the age of 15, Greta Thunberg began her school strike for the climate two years ago in Stockholm, Sweden. Last year, millions of young people joined her in protest. They carried signs and marched on the streets in cities around the world. They took actions to lower their use of Earth’s resources — and they told their leaders that they’d better listen.
Maybe you were one of them. Perhaps you are helping by reducing the amount of fuel you burn, eating less meat, or using less plastic. If so, you know that every single action you take makes a difference. You can move the Earth Overshoot Day — and make it later in the year. If we work together, we can make sure our world has enough resources for everyone.
“Looking after the planet is not just a nice and noble thing for children to do,” Hanscom told News-O-Matic. “It is essential for their future.” Hanscom called this issue “a fundamental cause — a cause we can and must win.”
The coronavirus has handed humans many difficult lessons. Yet it has also taught us something important. We can use less. We can be smarter about how we use Earth’s resources. We have the power to do this — it’s in our hands.
question 1: What does it mean for a resource to renew?
to come back
to be gone forever
to be valuable
to hurt the Earth
question 2: see the Slide Show. When was Earth Overshoot Day in 2000?
August 22
September 7
September 23
October 23
question 3. What did Hanscom mean by calling kids "the most effective leaders"?
They are too young to help.
They need to change the world.
They created Earth Overshoot Day.
They can create the most change.
They can create the most change.
The Earth has only so many trees. There are only so many fish in the oceans. The amount of soil and freshwater is limited. Of course, trees can grow back, and fish can lay more eggs. Still, humans must be careful not to use Earth’s resources too quickly. Well, experts say we are doing just that.
An environmental group called Global Footprint Network (GFN) studies how humans use the planet’s resources. Those include plants, animals, and land. And GFN has bad news for nature. It said August 22 was Earth Overshoot Day for 2020. That means humanity has already used as much from nature as the planet can renew in the entire year.
This has been happening faster and faster over the years. In 1970, Earth Overshoot Day was in late December. Fifty years ago, it took until the very end of the year to use the amount of resources that the planet made in 12 months. Throughout the 1970s and 1980s and 1990s, the date kept pushing forward. It moved up to November... and October... and September... and August.
In 2018 and 2019, Earth Overshoot Day took place in July for the first time. This year, the date is back in August — more than three weeks later. That means we are using resources less quickly than in the past. But it’s not because we are being more careful. It is because of the coronavirus. As countries locked down around the globe, people used fewer resources — such as by cutting down fewer trees and burning less fuel.
Even with the slowdown from the virus, humans are still using more resources than 1.5 Earths could provide. And, of course, we cannot magically make the world a larger place. Many countries are also using more resources than others; if the whole world used resources like the United States of America, for example, then Earth Overshoot Day would have been back on March 14.
Mathis Wackernagel founded the Global Footprint Network. “We only have this one planet,” he said. “Most children understand that.” But he told News-O-Matic the problem: “Many adults, though, live as if this was not true.” Wackernagel called this “not healthy” for the Earth.
Laurel Hanscom, the leader of GFN, said this is “diminishing the planet for the young people.” Hanscom said, “Young people should have the right to as good a planet as the one the adults got when they were kids.” She added: “This is why many young kids have become the most effective leaders to speak up for protecting our planet.”
At the age of 15, Greta Thunberg began her school strike for the climate two years ago in Stockholm, Sweden. Last year, millions of young people joined her in protest. They carried signs and marched on the streets in cities around the world. They took actions to lower their use of Earth’s resources — and they told their leaders that they’d better listen.
Maybe you were one of them. Perhaps you are helping by reducing the amount of fuel you burn, eating less meat, or using less plastic. If so, you know that every single action you take makes a difference. You can move the Earth Overshoot Day — and make it later in the year. If we work together, we can make sure our world has enough resources for everyone.
“Looking after the planet is not just a nice and noble thing for children to do,” Hanscom told News-O-Matic. “It is essential for their future.” Hanscom called this issue “a fundamental cause — a cause we can and must win.”
The coronavirus has handed humans many difficult lessons. Yet it has also taught us something important. We can use less. We can be smarter about how we use Earth’s resources. We have the power to do this — it’s in our hands.
question 1: What does it mean for a resource to renew?
to come back
to be gone forever
to be valuable
to hurt the Earth
to come back
See the Slide Show. When was Earth Overshoot Day in 2000?
August 22
September 7
September 23
October 23
The provided text does not mention anything about the Earth Overshoot Day in 2000.
alright I found the answer for question 2:
When was Earth Overshoot Day in 2000?
August 22
September 7
September 23
October 23
Earthshoot day in 2000 was september 23