For the first time in history, man-made materials have totaled more mass than living things on Earth.
The study highlights a “crossing point,” which is the point where man-made products weigh more than products of the natural world. Specifically, every 20 years, the volume of roads, structures or man-made materials nearly doubles, now weighing about 1,100 billion tons. While humans continue to abuse natural resources, to date the mass of living organisms, including plants and animals, has decreased by 50% since the age of agriculture, to 1,000 billion tons.
Roads and buildings make up most of the volume of man-made materials.
Calculation of the change between the mass of living organisms and the mass of man-made material has been carried out since 1990. Research shows that at the beginning of the twentieth century, the mass of man-made material was only 3% of the mass of biological material. living being. However, since the global manufacturing boom after World War II, man-made products have grown exponentially. It is currently estimated that, on average, humans create products that weigh as much as the weight of each person on Earth every week.
Study co-author Ron Milo at the Department of Plant and Environmental Sciences, Weizmann Institute of Science (Israel), said the study provides a big picture of Earth 2020. Mr. Milo expressed hope. These shocking figures will make people more conscious of their consumption.
Based on a wide range of industrial and ecological data, the study estimates 30 billion tons of man-made products are added each year. At current rates, the total volume of man-made materials will reach 3,000 billion tons by 2040. At the same time, the amount of living things is decreasing, mainly due to deforestation and agricultural land use. Roads and buildings account for most of the volume of man-made materials, due to many construction trends, including the transition from brick to concrete since the mid-1950s.
Lead author Emily Elhacham said the study pointed to signs of over-influenced influence by humans on the natural world . Ms. Elhacham warned that humans cannot deny their pivotal role in the natural world and must be jointly held accountable for their actions.