L'humanité auraaura consomméconsommé lundilundi lala totalitétotalité desdes ressourcesressources queque lala planèteplanète peutpeut renouvelerrenouveler enen unun anan etet vivravivra doncdonc "à"à crédit"crédit" jusqu'au 31 décembre,décembre, aa calculécalculé l'ONGl'ONG GlobalGlobal Footprint Network, relevantrelevant queque cece momentmoment survientsurvient dede plusplus enen plusplus tôttôt chaquechaque année.année.

LeLe lundilundi 8 aoûtaoût marquemarque pourpour lala TerreTerre lele "jour"jour dudu dépassement"dépassement" ("earth overshoot day" enen anglais).anglais). AA partirpartir dede cettecette date,date, "nous"nous vivonsvivons doncdonc àà crédit",crédit", écriventécrivent GlobalGlobal Footprint etet lele WWF dansdans unun communiqué.communiqué.

PourPour sesses calculs,calculs, GlobalGlobal Footprint prendprend notammentnotamment enen comptecompte l'empreinte carbone,carbone, lesles ressourcesressources consomméesconsommées pourpour lala pêche,pêche, l'élevage, lesles cultures,cultures, lala constructionconstruction etet l'utilisation d'eau.

EnEn 2015, lele "jour"jour dudu dépassement"dépassement" étaitétait survenusurvenu lele 13 août.août. LaLa datedate "avance"avance inexorablementinexorablement depuisdepuis lesles annéesannées 1970", relèventrelèvent lesles ONG.

EnEn 1970, ilil n'était survenusurvenu queque lele 23 décembre.décembre. Depuis,Depuis, sasa datedate n'an'a cessécessé d'avancer: 3 novembrenovembre enen 1980, 13 octobreoctobre enen 1990, 4 octobreoctobre enen 2000, 3 septembre enen 2005, 28 aoûtaoût enen 2010.

"Pour"Pour subvenirsubvenir àà nosnos besoins,besoins, nousnous avonsavons aujourd'hui besoinbesoin dede l’équivalent dede 1,6 planète"planète" parpar an,an, relèventrelèvent GlobalGlobal Footprint etet WWF.

"Le"Le coûtcoût dede cettecette surconsommationsurconsommation estest déjàdéjà visible: pénuriespénuries d'eau, désertification, érosionérosion desdes sols,sols, chutechute dede lala productivitéproductivité agricoleagricole etet desdes stocksstocks dede poissons,poissons, déforestation,déforestation, disparitiondisparition desdes espèces",espèces", déplorentdéplorent lesles ONG.

"Vivre"Vivre àà créditcrédit nene peutpeut êtreêtre queque provisoireprovisoire parce queque lala naturenature n'est paspas unun gisementgisement dansdans lequellequel nousnous pouvonspouvons puiserpuiser indéfiniment",indéfiniment", soulignent-elles.

LesLes émissionsémissions dede CO2, lele principalprincipal gazgaz àà effeteffet dede serre, sontsont lele plusplus importantimportant facteurfacteur dede dépassement: elleselles représententreprésentent "60% dede notrenotre empreinteempreinte écologiqueécologique globale",globale", précisentprécisent lele WWF etet GlobalGlobal Footprint.

SelonSelon lele rapportrapport annuelannuel sursur l'état dudu climatclimat ("State of thethe Climate"), unun documentdocument rendurendu publicpublic mardimardi auquelauquel ontont participéparticipé 450 scientifiquesscientifiques dudu mondemonde entier,entier, lesles émissionsémissions dede gazgaz àà effeteffet dede serre ontont atteintatteint desdes niveauxniveaux recordsrecords enen 2015.

LaLa communautécommunauté internationaleinternationale s'est engagéeengagée àà lala ConférenceConférence dede ParisParis sursur lele climat,climat, enen décembredécembre dernier,dernier, àà réduireréduire lesles émissionsémissions dede gazgaz àà effeteffet dede serre afinafin dede jugulerjuguler lele réchauffementréchauffement climatique.climatique.

D'après GlobalGlobal Footprint, enen 2030, si lesles émissionsémissions mondialesmondiales dede CO2 nene diminuentdiminuent pas,pas, l'humanité auraaura engloutienglouti sonson "budget"budget écologique"écologique" dèsdès lele 28 juin.juin.

ChineseChinese authoritiesauthorities havehave seizedseized 7.5 tonnestonnes ofof ivoryivory -- 2,748 elephantelephant tuskstusks -- inin oneone ofof thethe biggestbiggest bustsbusts inin recentrecent yearsyears asas thethe countrycountry crackscracks downdown onon thethe salesale ofof illegalillegal wildlifewildlife products.products.

TheThe countrycountry bannedbanned ivoryivory salessales atat thethe endend ofof 2017 inin anan attemptattempt toto reinrein inin whatwhat usedused toto bebe thethe product'sproduct's largestlargest marketmarket inin thethe world.world. ImportsImports werewere bannedbanned inin 2015.

TheThe smuggledsmuggled tuskstusks werewere confiscatedconfiscated lastlast monthmonth inin anan operationoperation byby customscustoms officersofficers andand policepolice acrossacross sixsix provinces,provinces, accordingaccording toto thethe GeneralGeneral AdministrationAdministration ofof Customs.Customs.

"This"This casecase representsrepresents thethe largestlargest amountamount ofof elephantelephant tuskstusks seizedseized inin aa singlesingle casecase investigatedinvestigated independently byby thethe GeneralGeneral AdministrationAdministration ofof Customs'Customs' anti-smuggling bureaubureau inin recentrecent years,"years," saidsaid SunSun Zhijie, directordirector ofof thethe administration'sadministration's anti-smuggling bureau.bureau.

TheThe operationoperation "destroyed"destroyed anan internationalinternational criminalcriminal organisationorganisation thatthat forfor aa longlong timetime hashas specialised inin smugglingsmuggling ivoryivory tusks,"tusks," SunSun said.said.

TwentyTwenty suspectssuspects werewere detained,detained, hehe added.added.

TheThe tuskstusks werewere shippedshipped byby seasea fromfrom AfricanAfrican countries.countries. AfterAfter transiting throughthrough variousvarious otherother countries,countries, theythey werewere smuggledsmuggled acrossacross thethe ChineseChinese borderborder hiddenhidden amongamong lumber,lumber, accordingaccording toto Sun.Sun.

TRAFFIC,TRAFFIC, anan internationalinternational NGONGO monitoringmonitoring wildlifewildlife trade,trade, saidsaid inin aa presspress releaserelease thatthat thethe seizureseizure waswas potentially thethe secondsecond biggestbiggest ivoryivory seizureseizure worldwideworldwide onon record.record.

InIn aa reportreport conductedconducted withwith WWF lastlast year,year, thethe organisationorganisation foundfound thatthat China'sChina's ivoryivory banban hashas hadhad positivepositive effects,effects, withwith thethe numbernumber ofof respondentsrespondents whowho saidsaid theythey intendedintended toto purchasepurchase ivoryivory inin thethe futurefuture droppingdropping byby almostalmost halfhalf comparedcompared toto 2017 beforebefore thethe banban tooktook place.place.

IvoryIvory isis seenseen asas aa statusstatus symbolsymbol inin China.China. OtherOther illegalillegal wildlifewildlife products,products, suchsuch asas pangolin scales,scales, continuecontinue toto seesee demanddemand forfor theirtheir supposedsupposed medicinalmedicinal properties.properties.

TheThe world'sworld's rarestrarest turtleturtle hashas movedmoved aa stepstep closercloser toto extinctionextinction afterafter aa femalefemale specimenspecimen dieddied inin aa ChineseChinese zoo,zoo, leavingleaving behindbehind justjust threethree knownknown membersmembers ofof thethe species.species.

TheThe Yangtze giantgiant softshell turtle,turtle, believedbelieved toto bebe aboveabove 90 yearsyears ofof age,age, dieddied inin Suzhou ZooZoo onon Saturday,Saturday, accordingaccording toto thethe Suzhou Daily.Daily.

TheThe female'sfemale's deathdeath camecame aa dayday afterafter zoozoo officialsofficials mademade aa last-ditchlast-ditch efforteffort atat artificialartificial insemination usingusing semensemen fromfrom thethe Suzhou ZooZoo male,male, anan animalanimal estimatedestimated toto bebe moremore thanthan 100 yearsyears old,old, thethe newspapernewspaper said.said.

TheThe zoozoo hadhad triedtried unsuccessfully forfor severalseveral yearsyears toto getget thethe pairpair toto matemate andand reproducereproduce naturally.naturally. ItIt willwill nownow conductconduct anan autopsyautopsy toto determinedetermine whatwhat causedcaused thethe animal'sanimal's death,death, thethe newspapernewspaper reported.reported.

BesidesBesides thethe Suzhou ZooZoo malemale therethere areare onlyonly twotwo otherother knownknown membersmembers ofof thethe speciesspecies left,left, bothboth livingliving inin thethe wildwild inin Vietnam andand ofof unknownunknown gender,gender, accordingaccording toto conservationists.conservationists.

TheThe Yangtze giantgiant softshell turtleturtle isis thethe largestlargest freshwaterfreshwater turtleturtle inin thethe world,world, growinggrowing toto 100 cmcm (39 inches)inches) longlong andand weighingweighing upup toto 100kg (220 pounds).pounds).

ItsIts mainmain habitathabitat waswas thethe Yangtze RiverRiver andand otherother inlandinland ChinaChina waterways.waterways.

ButBut aquaticaquatic lifelife inin China'sChina's riversrivers hashas sufferedsuffered severely fromfrom centuriescenturies ofof huntinghunting and,and, moremore recently,recently, decadesdecades ofof pollution,pollution, shippingshipping traffictraffic andand ecologicalecological disruptiondisruption wroughtwrought byby hydroelectrichydroelectric dams.dams.

Tesla hashas pulledpulled thethe plugplug onon InternetInternet salessales ofof itsits cheapestcheapest ModelModel 3 sedansedan inin thethe latestlatest shiftshift toto thethe company'scompany's retailretail strategy.strategy.

TheThe electricelectric carcar makermaker plansplans toto keepkeep takingtaking onlineonline ordersorders forfor thethe StandardStandard PlusPlus ModelModel 3, whichwhich startsstarts atat $39,500 andand isis nownow thethe lowest-price optionoption availableavailable toto digitaldigital consumers,consumers, alongalong withwith higher-end models.models.

ButBut onlineonline customerscustomers willwill nono longerlonger bebe ableable toto orderorder thethe ModelModel 3 StandardStandard forfor $35,000, aa long-promised priceprice forfor aa vehiclevehicle thatthat hashas beenbeen seenseen asas essentialessential toto Tesla ChiefChief ExecutiveExecutive Elon Musk'sMusk's ambitionambition toto disruptdisrupt thethe autoauto industry.industry.

"Model"Model 3 StandardStandard willwill nownow bebe aa software-limited versionversion ofof thethe StandardStandard Plus,Plus, andand wewe areare takingtaking itit offoff thethe onlineonline orderingordering menu,menu, whichwhich justjust meansmeans thatthat toto getget it,it, customerscustomers willwill needneed toto callcall usus oror visitvisit anyany oneone ofof thethe severalseveral hundredhundred Tesla stores,"stores," Tesla saidsaid inin aa blogblog postpost onon ThursdayThursday night.night.

TheThe shiftshift waswas neededneeded toto "simplify"simplify ourour productionproduction operationsoperations toto betterbetter optimizeoptimize cost,cost, minimizeminimize complexitycomplexity andand streamlinestreamline operations,"operations," thethe companycompany added.added.

TheThe announcementannouncement reversesreverses Tesla's announcementannouncement onon FebruaryFebruary 28 thatthat thethe $35,000 modelmodel couldcould onlyonly bebe purchasedpurchased online.online. AtAt thethe time,time, Tesla alsoalso announcedannounced plansplans toto closeclose manymany ofof itsits retailretail stores,stores, butbut laterlater retreatedretreated onon thatthat plan.plan.

TheThe phasing-out ofof onlineonline ModelModel 3 StandardStandard salessales comescomes aa weekweek afterafter Tesla announcedannounced disappointingdisappointing first-quarter carcar deliveries.deliveries. AA challengechallenge toto vehiclevehicle demanddemand hashas beenbeen thethe loweringlowering ofof aa USUS taxtax creditcredit onon Tesla vehiclesvehicles toto $3,500 fromfrom $7,500 previously.previously.

Overconsumption ofof thethe world'sworld's naturalnatural resourcesresources isis unsustainably cuttingcutting intointo itsits ecologicalecological "capital,""capital," reveredrevered BritishBritish naturalistnaturalist David Attenborough warnedwarned Thursday.Thursday.

"Financial"Financial systemssystems havehave aa lotlot inin commoncommon withwith naturalnatural worldworld systems.systems. BothBoth areare economies,"economies," Attenborough saidsaid ThursdayThursday duringduring thethe springspring meetingsmeetings ofof thethe InternationalInternational MonetaryMonetary FundFund andand WorldWorld Bank.Bank.

"If"If youyou dealdeal withwith youryour investment...investment... it'sit's finefine ifif youyou cancan taketake thethe profit,profit, youyou taketake thethe investment,investment, butbut youyou wouldn't bebe soso sillysilly asas toto eateat intointo thethe capital.capital. ButBut thatthat isis whatwhat we'rewe're doingdoing withwith thethe naturalnatural worldworld allall thethe time."time."

TheThe BAFTA winnerwinner andand long-timelong-time presenterpresenter ofof BBCBBC wildlifewildlife documentariesdocumentaries spokespoke withwith IMFIMF chiefchief Christine Lagarde.

HeHe saidsaid humanhuman beingsbeings andand theirtheir domesticateddomesticated animalsanimals nownow accountedaccounted forfor 96 percentpercent ofof thethe globalglobal massmass ofof allall mammals.mammals.

"We've eliminatedeliminated thethe rest,"rest," hehe said.said. "Seventy"Seventy percentpercent ofof allall birdbird speciesspecies havehave gone.gone. WeWe areare inin terrible,terrible, terribleterrible trouble."trouble."

"I"I findfind itit difficultdifficult toto exaggerateexaggerate thethe perilperil thatthat wewe areare in.in. WeWe areare inin thethe processprocess ofof aa newnew freshfresh extinctionextinction whichwhich wewe knowknow allall aboutabout fromfrom geologicalgeological time,"time," saidsaid Attenborough.

"This"This isis thethe newnew extinctionextinction -- andand we'rewe're halfwayhalfway throughthrough it."it."

EarlyEarly colonistscolonists inin NorthNorth America diddid notnot understandunderstand howhow theirtheir consumptionconsumption ofof oneone speciesspecies affectedaffected populationspopulations ofof others,others, hehe added.added.

HeHe pointedpointed toto thethe huntinghunting ofof seasea ottersotters forfor theirtheir fur,fur, whichwhich increasedincreased populationspopulations ofof seasea urchinsurchins thatthat hadhad beenbeen preyedpreyed uponupon byby thethe otters.otters. TheThe urchinsurchins thenthen consumedconsumed moremore kelp,kelp, reducingreducing spawningspawning groundsgrounds forfor fish,fish, whichwhich hadhad previouslypreviously beenbeen aa greatgreat sourcesource ofof wealth,wealth, saidsaid Attenborough.

"When"When youyou removeremove thethe kelpkelp forestsforests thethe fishfish couldcould nono longerlonger survive,"survive," saidsaid Attenborough. "When"When youyou diddid realizerealize itit youyou couldcould dealdeal withwith itit butbut itit requiresrequires understanding."understanding."

HeHe alsoalso warnedwarned thethe timetime hadhad longlong sincesince comecome toto dealdeal withwith climateclimate change.change.

"The"The raterate atat whichwhich thethe climateclimate isis changingchanging andand warming,warming, unlessunless wewe actact onon thethe Paris AgreementAgreement toto restrictrestrict that,that, we'rewe're goinggoing toto bebe inin realreal trouble,"trouble," hehe said.said.

"Otherwise,"Otherwise, ifif wewe justjust gogo onon thinkingthinking thisthis isis goinggoing toto bebe fine,fine, wewe areare goinggoing toto bebe headingheading forfor majormajor catastrophes.catastrophes. NoNo doubtdoubt aboutabout that."that."

ThreeThree diversdivers whowho helpedhelped rescuerescue aa ThaiThai footballfootball teamteam lastlast yearyear havehave mademade aa freshfresh discoverydiscovery inin Vietnam wherewhere theythey exploredexplored aa tunneltunnel thatthat couldcould expandexpand thethe footprintfootprint ofof thethe world'sworld's largestlargest cave.cave.

TheThe teamteam waswas invitedinvited toto descenddescend intointo aa waterloggedwaterlogged pitpit inin thethe SonSon Doong cavecave inin centralcentral Vietnam thatthat hashas nevernever beenbeen exploredexplored andand isis believedbelieved toto connectconnect toto nearbynearby chambers.chambers.

TheyThey werewere forcedforced backback atat 77 metersmeters (252 feet)feet) becausebecause theythey diddid notnot havehave enoughenough oxygenoxygen toto pushpush further,further, butbut theythey thinkthink thethe tunnelstunnels couldcould bebe 120 metersmeters deep.deep.

IfIf thethe tunneltunnel connectsconnects toto anotheranother cave,cave, itit wouldwould makemake SonSon Doong "easily"easily thethe largestlargest cavecave inin thethe worldworld andand itit wouldwould nevernever bebe overtaken,"overtaken," BritishBritish cavecave expertexpert Howard Limbert, whowho helpedhelped organiseorganise thethe dive,dive, saidsaid TuesdayTuesday atat aa presspress conferenceconference announcingannouncing thethe find.find.

TheThe threethree diversdivers -- RickRick Stanton, Jason Mallinson andand Chris Jewell -- werewere partpart ofof thethe daringdaring rescuerescue toto savesave 12 ThaiThai footballersfootballers andand theirtheir coachcoach whowho werewere trappedtrapped inin aa cavecave forfor eighteeneighteen daysdays lastlast year.year.

Stanton -- whowho foundfound thethe boysboys onon aa ledgeledge -- saidsaid thethe painstakingpainstaking tasktask ofof safelysafely leadingleading thethe groupgroup outout ofof thethe tunneltunnel alivealive helpedhelped toto prepareprepare forfor thethe missionmission inin Vietnam.

"Our"Our planningplanning andand preparationpreparation isis withoutwithout parallel,"parallel," hehe said.said.

TheThe teamteam plansplans toto returnreturn toto Vietnam nextnext yearyear toto trytry toto linklink thethe tunneltunnel toto anotheranother cavecave nearnear SonSon Doong, whichwhich isis soso bigbig thatthat itit hashas itsits ownown ecosystemecosystem andand weatherweather patterns.patterns.

TheThe cavecave inin centralcentral Quang Binh provinceprovince waswas firstfirst foundfound byby aa locallocal forager inin 1991, butbut waswas notnot re-discovered forfor anotheranother 19 yearsyears becausebecause itsits entranceentrance waswas hiddenhidden byby thickthick surroundingsurrounding jungle.jungle.

OnlyOnly 30 percentpercent ofof Vietnam's Phong Nha nationalnational parkpark -- wherewhere SonSon Doong andand aa networknetwork ofof adjacentadjacent cavescaves areare locatedlocated -- hashas soso farfar beenbeen explored.explored.

SonSon Doong isis thethe world'sworld's largestlargest cavecave byby volume,volume, bigbig enoughenough toto househouse aa NewNew York citycity blockblock -- includingincluding 40-storey skyscrapersskyscrapers -- accordingaccording toto Oxalis, whichwhich runsruns tourstours intointo thethe caves.caves.

ProposedProposed plansplans toto buildbuild aa cablecable carcar inin thethe areaarea havehave sparkedsparked angeranger amongamong thethe Vietnamese publicpublic whowho fearfear itit willwill harmharm thethe area'sarea's wildlifewildlife andand pristinepristine views.views.

AnAn officialofficial saidsaid TuesdayTuesday therethere werewere nono plansplans toto movemove aheadahead withwith thethe projectproject despitedespite offersoffers fromfrom severalseveral companies.companies.

"That"That isis onlyonly inin theory,theory, inin truth,truth, toto buildbuild aa cablecable carcar therethere isis nono suchsuch projectproject yet,"yet," thethe vicevice chairmanchairman ofof Quang Binh provinceprovince Tran Thien DungDung saidsaid Tuesday.Tuesday.

Vietnam's tourismtourism industryindustry isis boomingbooming amongamong domesticdomestic andand foreignforeign travellerstravellers alike,alike, butbut thethe communistcommunist countrycountry hashas comecome underunder firefire forfor failingfailing toto preservepreserve landscapeslandscapes asas itit rapidly expandsexpands thethe sector.sector.