&gt; <i>Hardly. Your mistake is that unlike animals humans don&#x27;t [just] consume resources, they create them.</i><p>Resources aren&#x27;t created equal. We cut down trees that regulate air, humidity and temperature on the planet and replace them with smartphones, that mostly lie unused on benches and in warehouses in Shenzhen.<p>&gt; <i>Don&#x27;t forget that it&#x27;s not possible to &quot;use up&quot; matter - it&#x27;s always still there, a little effort and you can use it again.</i><p>The key here is that &quot;little effort&quot;. Ignoring the fact that we neither can (because of tech level) nor want (because of market economy) recreate the important resources we&#x27;re depleting, you absolutely can use up energy from a practical standpoint. Yes, total energy is conserved, but as it reaches higher and higher entropy levels, it becomes less and less usable, until it&#x27;s just thermal waste.