General Discussion
Related: Editorials & Other Articles, Issue Forums, Alliance Forums, Region ForumsHuman-made materials now equal weight of all life on Earth
The amount of concrete, asphalt, metal, and plastic on Earth is growing fast. This year may mark the point when artificial stuff outweighs living things.
ENVIRONMENTALISTS OFTEN SAY that humanity needs to shrink its planetary footprint. Now, a new study has demonstrated how literally massive that footprint is.
While the mass of Earths life forms stands at about 1.1 trillion metric tons (1.2 trillion U.S. tons) and has not changed much in recent years, the so-called anthropogenic mass of artificial materials is growing exponentially. The mass of everything people have built and made, from concrete pavements and glass-and-metal skyscrapers to plastic bottles, clothes, and computers, is now roughly equal to the mass of living things on Earth and could surpass that this year, according to research published today in Nature.
The finding may bolster the argument that Earth has entered the Anthropocene, a proposed geologic epoch in which humans are the dominant force shaping the planet. As senior study author Ron Milo of the Weizmann Institute of Science in Rehovot, Israel puts it, the world is undergoing a material transition that happens not just once in a lifetime, but once in an era.
While that insight is more symbolic than scientifically meaningful, the material scale of the human enterprise helps explain how weve managed to transform global nutrient cycles, alter the climate, and drive myriad species to the brink of extinction.
This isnt the first attempt to weigh humanitys impact on the planet. In 2016, a team of scientists estimated the weight of the technosphereincluding not just wholly artificial buildings and products, but also the approximate weight of the land and seafloor that weve excavated, modified or trawled to build cities, plant crops, raise livestock, and catch fish. They came up with a figure of 30 trillion tons. Other recent studies have tracked changes just in the biological world, such as the amount of carbon stored in plants or the number of chickens on the planet.
But to the authors knowledge, there hasn't been a comprehensive analysis looking at changes in the weight of the artificial and biological worlds simultaneously but separately. That has made it difficult for scientists to draw an apples to applesor apples to iPhonescomparison.
https://www.nationalgeographic.com/environment/2020/12/human-made-materials-now-equal-weight-of-all-life-on-earth/?cmpid=org=ngp::mc=crm-email::src=ngp::cmp=editorial::add=Animals_20201210&rid=2D7EBD8232363870D75E126868635ACF
Response to Bayard (Original post)
CatLady78 This message was self-deleted by its author.
Duppers
(28,127 posts)Response to Duppers (Reply #3)
CatLady78 This message was self-deleted by its author.
Response to Duppers (Reply #3)
CatLady78 This message was self-deleted by its author.
Duppers
(28,127 posts)I've been following him on Instagram & think perhaps you'd also like him.
Both my siblings are vegetarians & I'm so proud of them for adhering to their choice for decades now. I've found a lady in my neighborhood who is going to teach me her best vegetarian recipes because I'm not yet there & my cooking must satisfy my meat craving hubby.
And, btw, my sis is "mom" to her open-range chicken & gives away their eggs. I'll make sure she's aware of Open Wing Alliance.
OAITW r.2.0
(24,679 posts)Duppers
(28,127 posts)Especially in GD forum where more eyes will see it.
We're only decades from making this planet uninhabitable & most folks won't do the research to discover this for themselves.
So, thank you again, Bayard, my friend, for this post because hopefully, it will enlighten some here about the tragic path humans are on!