The Human Impacts Database

A collection of useful numbers for quantifying the impacts of the human presence on Earth.


Quantity Value HuID Source Type
Pre-industrial atmospheric CO2 concentration ≈ 280 parts per million 30912 MacFarling Meure, C., D. Etheridge, …
Nitrogen emissions from farmed seaweed production ≈ -30 - 2 kg N / t 31066 Gephart, J.A., et al.
CO2 equivalent emissions from wild bivalve production ≈ 9000 - 14000 kg CO2e / t 31787 Gephart, J.A., et al.
Green house gas emissions for dairy production 1.9 ± 0.2 kg CO2e equivalent / Mcal 32331 Eshel, G., Shepon, A., Makov, …
Total anthropogenic SO2 emissions 1.05 × (1 + 0.48)±1 × 1011 kg SO2 / yr 34655 European Commission, Joint Research Centre …
CO2 equivalent emissions from farmed salmon production ≈ 4700 - 5500 kg CO2e / t 36679 Gephart, J.A., et al.
Mass of nitrogen needed for rice production ≈ 1 × 10-2 kg Nr / Mcal 36950 Eshel, G., Shepon, A., Makov, …
Pre-industrial atmospheric N2O concentration ≈ 270 parts per billion 37377 MacFarling Meure, C., D. Etheridge, …
CO2 equivalent emissions from farmed shrimp production ≈ 9000 - 9800 kg CO2e / t 38655 Gephart, J.A., et al.
CH4 emissions from agriculture and waste (2.0 - 2.5) × 1011 kg CH4 / yr 39058 Saunois, M. et al.
Mass of nitrogen needed for beef production (0.175 ± 0.025) kg Nr / Mcal 39532 Eshel, G., Shepon, A., Makov, …
Total watershed Nitrogen input from human wastewater ≈ 6 × 109 kg N / yr 40335 Tuholske, Cascade; Halpern, Benjamin S.; …
CO2 equivalent emissions from farmed seaweed production ≈ 750 - 1500 kg CO2e / t 40361 Gephart, J.A., et al.
Mass of nitrogen needed for dairy production (2.5 ± 0.6) × 10-2 kg Nr / Mcal 40513 Eshel, G., Shepon, A., Makov, …
Fallout mass of Pu-239 and Pu-240 from atmospheric weapons testing 3360 kg 42526 Hancock, G.J., Tims, S.G., Fifield, …