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https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2020/dec/09/human-made-materials-now-outweigh-earths-entire-biomass-study>
"The giant human footprint stamped across the world in 2020 is greater
than the impact on the planet of all other living things, research suggests.
The amount of plastic alone is greater in mass than all land animals and
marine creatures combined, the study estimates.
While human beings might believe in “the immensity of the globe and the
seeming infinity of the natural world”, the researchers say they wanted
to provide an objective and rigorous measure of the reality of the
balance between man and nature.
Their research shows that human activity including production of
concrete, metal, plastic, bricks and asphalt has brought the world to a
crossover point where human-made mass – driven mostly by enhanced
consumption and urban development – exceeds the overall living biomass
on Earth.
On average, every person in the world is responsible for the creation of
human-made matter equal to more than their bodyweight each week, the
paper published in Nature says.
The research found that the stamp of humanity has been increasing in
size rapidly since the beginning of the 20th century, doubling every 20
years.
The researchers support a proposal to name the current epoch as
Anthropocene, reflecting the abrupt and considerable impact of human
activity."
Via Muse, who wrote "We have to stop this."
Cheers,
*** Xanni ***
--
mailto:xanni@xanadu.net Andrew Pam
http://xanadu.com.au/ Chief Scientist, Xanadu
https://glasswings.com.au/ Partner, Glass Wings
https://sericyb.com.au/ Manager, Serious Cybernetics
