The Human Impacts Database

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


Quantity Value HuID Source Type
Global albedo decrease from 1998 levels ≈ - 0.5 W / m2 85211 Goode, P. R.; Pallé, E.; …
Total anthropogenic mass 1.23 × 1015 kg 85388 Elhacham, E., Ben-Uri, L., Grozovski, …
Global annual steel production (1.4 ± 0.21) × 1012 kg / yr 85981 Krausmann, F., Wiedenhofer, D., Lauk, …
Global consumption of ozone depleting substances ≈ 2.4 × 107 kg 86983 UN Environment Programme Ozone Secretariat
Total watershed Nitrogen input from open defecation ≈ 2 × 109 kg N / yr 88616 Tuholske, Cascade; Halpern, Benjamin S.; …
CH4 emissions from enteric fermentation ≈1 × 1011 kg CH4 / yr 89778 FAO (Food and Agricultural Organization …
CH4 emissions from fossil fuel combustion and industrial processes (0.9 - 1.6) × 1011 kg CH4 / yr 91449 Saunois, M. et al.
Total anthropogenic N2O emissions (9.2 ± 8.0) × 109 kg N2O / yr 92891 European Commission, Joint Research Centre
CO2 equivalent emissions from farmed trout production ≈ 5000 - 5800 kg CO2e / t 93957 Gephart, J.A., et al.
Total anthropogenic CH4 emissions (3.4 - 3.9) × 1011 kg CH4 / yr 96837 Saunois, M. et al.
Global plastic production ≈ 4 × 1011 kg / yr 97241 Geyer, R., Jambeck, J.R., and …
Atmospheric CO2 growth rate (1.9 ± 0.1) × 1013 kg CO2 / yr 98043 Friedlingstein, P., Jones, M. W., …
Net oceanic CO2 uptake (9.5 ± 2.2) × 1012 kg CO2 / yr 99089 Friedlingstein, P., Jones, M. W., …