The Human Impacts Database

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


Quantity Value HuID Source Type
Land area requirement for beef production ≈ 145 ± 15 m2 / yr / Mcal 40176 Eshel, G., Shepon, A., Makov, …
Global urban land area ≈ 6.5 × 1011 m2 41339 Florczyk, A., Corbane, C., Schiavina, …
Annual sediment mass produced via agricultural erosion 2.43 (+0.53, -0.41) × 1013 kg / yr 41496 Borrelli, P., Robinson, D.A., Panagos, …
Harvest yield of wheat ≈ 0.35 kg / m2 44291 FAO (Food and Agricultural Organization) …
Annual sediment flux due to rivers ≈ (1.2 ± 0.2) × 1013 kg / yr 51481 Syvitski, J.P, Vorosmarty, C.J, Kettner, …
Land use for farmed tilapia production ≈ 14,000 - 16,000 m2 / t 54780 Gephart, J.A., et al.
Mass of earth moved globally due to urbanization > 1.4 × 1014 kg / yr 59640 Cooper, A. H., Brown, T. …
Land area requirement for rice production ≈ 0.6 m2 / yr / Mcal 60502 Eshel, G., Shepon, A., Makov, …
Harvest yield of rice paddy ≈ 0.45 kg / m2 62879 FAO (Food and Agricultural Organization) …
Global non-agricultural sediment mass flux 3.16 × 1011 kg / yr 66360 Cooper, A. H., Brown, T. …
Fraction of agricultural land that is cropland ≈ 32 % 67452 FAO (Food and Agricultural Organization) …
Land area requirement for dairy production. 10 ± 3 m2 / yr / Mcal 68128 Eshel, G., Shepon, A., Makov, …
Area of terrestrial protected territories in Europe ≈ 1.8 × 1012 m2 70353 European Environment Agency
Harvest yield of potato ≈ 2 kg / m2 72116 FAO (Food and Agricultural Organization) …
Mass of overburden moved for mining of coal ≈ 6.5 × 1013 kg / yr 72899 Cooper, A. H., Brown, T. …