how it’s built

chickens Gallus gallus domesticus

killed by humans: 74 billion a year, so 2 345 a second. born to be killed: 82 billion a year, 2 598 a second.

alive right now, in the queue (Little's law: rate × 42 days): 8.5 billion. average time left: 21 days.

method

FAO slaughter statistics for chickens (meat birds plus spent layers), converted to per second. births = slaughter + typical shed mortality (4–6%) + male layer chicks culled at hatch (~7 billion/yr). standing stock by Little's law: rate × 42 days.

range

slaughter 70–78 billion/yr; births 78–86 billion/yr

weakness

FAO under-reports backyard slaughter in parts of Asia and Africa; hatchery culling has no official global series.

becomes a feed

USDA daily federally inspected slaughter (US share, then others)

lines shown, with sources

the gap is the male chicks, macerated on day one, and the ones that die in the shed. a chicken can live eight years. FAO slaughter; hatchery culling estimatesnine of every ten farmed land vertebrates killed for food are chickens. FAOthe broiler chicken bone will be the signature fossil of our age: more of them than of any bird that ever lived, in every landfill on earth. Bennett et al. 2018, Royal Society Open Science

dispute

dispute LGR-001 · corrections are credited

farmed shrimp Litopenaeus vannamei & others

killed by humans: 440 billion a year, so 13 943 a second. born to be killed: 800 billion a year, 25 350 a second.

alive right now, in the queue (Little's law: rate × 150 days): 181 billion. average time left: 75 days.

method

fishcount.org.uk estimate of farmed decapods, converted to per second. hatchery numbers are several times larger because most postlarvae die before harvest.

range

250–600 billion/yr harvested

weakness

tonnage-to-count conversion depends on assumed mean weight at harvest; the site uses the midpoint.

lines shown, with sources

most hatchery larvae never reach the pond. fishcount.org.uk

dispute

dispute LGR-002 · corrections are credited

farmed fish many species

killed by humans: 124 billion a year, so 3 929 a second. born to be killed: 160 billion a year, 5 070 a second.

alive right now, in the queue (Little's law: rate × 540 days): 183 billion. average time left: 270 days.

method

fishcount.org.uk estimate of farmed finfish killed per year, tonnage divided by species mean weights.

range

78–171 billion/yr

weakness

mean weights per species are themselves estimates; hatchery-to-harvest survival varies widely.

lines shown, with sources

most die by suffocation, on ice. fishcount.org.uk

dispute

dispute LGR-003 · corrections are credited

ducks Anas platyrhynchos domesticus

killed by humans: 3.3 billion a year, so 105 a second. born to be killed: 3.5 billion a year, 111 a second.

alive right now, in the queue (Little's law: rate × 49 days): 443 million. average time left: 24.5 days.

method

FAO slaughter statistics.

range

3.0–3.5 billion/yr

weakness

most ducks are slaughtered in China; reporting granularity is coarse.

lines shown, with sources

a duck can live ten years. FAO

dispute

dispute LGR-004 · corrections are credited

pigs Sus scrofa domesticus

killed by humans: 1.5 billion a year, so 47.5 a second. born to be killed: 1.8 billion a year, 55.5 a second.

alive right now, in the queue (Little's law: rate × 180 days): 739 million. average time left: 90 days.

method

FAO slaughter statistics; births = slaughter plus pre-weaning mortality (~12–15%).

range

1.4–1.6 billion/yr

weakness

pre-weaning mortality is taken from industry data in a few countries and applied globally.

becomes a feed

USDA daily slaughter

lines shown, with sources

about one in eight dies before weaning. a pig can live fifteen years. FAO; industry mortality data

dispute

dispute LGR-005 · corrections are credited

rabbits Oryctolagus cuniculus

killed by humans: 900 million a year, so 28.5 a second. born to be killed: 1 billion a year, 31.7 a second.

alive right now, in the queue (Little's law: rate × 77 days): 190 million. average time left: 38.5 days.

method

FAO slaughter statistics.

range

0.8–1.0 billion/yr

weakness

reporting is thin outside China and Europe.

lines shown, with sources

a rabbit can live nine years. FAO

dispute

dispute LGR-006 · corrections are credited

geese Anser anser domesticus

killed by humans: 700 million a year, so 22.2 a second. born to be killed: 750 million a year, 23.8 a second.

alive right now, in the queue (Little's law: rate × 120 days): 230 million. average time left: 60 days.

method

FAO slaughter statistics.

range

0.65–0.75 billion/yr

weakness

as ducks.

lines shown, with sources

a goose can live twenty years. FAO

dispute

dispute LGR-007 · corrections are credited

turkeys Meleagris gallopavo

killed by humans: 650 million a year, so 20.6 a second. born to be killed: 700 million a year, 22.2 a second.

alive right now, in the queue (Little's law: rate × 120 days): 214 million. average time left: 60 days.

method

FAO slaughter statistics.

range

0.6–0.7 billion/yr

weakness

none material.

lines shown, with sources

a turkey can live ten years. FAO

dispute

dispute LGR-008 · corrections are credited

sheep Ovis aries

killed by humans: 620 million a year, so 19.6 a second. born to be killed: 700 million a year, 22.2 a second.

alive right now, in the queue (Little's law: rate × 210 days): 356 million. average time left: 105 days.

method

FAO slaughter statistics.

range

0.58–0.65 billion/yr

weakness

informal slaughter under-reported.

lines shown, with sources

a sheep can live twelve years. FAO

dispute

dispute LGR-009 · corrections are credited

goats Capra hircus

killed by humans: 500 million a year, so 15.8 a second. born to be killed: 560 million a year, 17.7 a second.

alive right now, in the queue (Little's law: rate × 120 days): 164 million. average time left: 60 days.

method

FAO slaughter statistics.

range

0.45–0.55 billion/yr

weakness

informal slaughter under-reported.

lines shown, with sources

a goat can live fifteen years. FAO

dispute

dispute LGR-010 · corrections are credited

cattle Bos taurus

killed by humans: 330 million a year, so 10.5 a second. born to be killed: 360 million a year, 11.4 a second.

alive right now, in the queue (Little's law: rate × 550 days): 497 million. average time left: 275 days.

method

FAO slaughter statistics; births = slaughter plus bobby calves and calf mortality. standing stock via Little's law counts the slaughter queue, not the breeding and dairy herd (~1.5 billion).

range

0.30–0.35 billion/yr

weakness

the 'alive right now' figure excludes dairy and breeding animals by design and should be read as the queue.

becomes a feed

USDA daily slaughter

lines shown, with sources

the gap is mostly bobby calves: dairy farms’ male calves, killed young because they cannot make milk. see: bobby calves. a cow can live twenty years. FAO; dairy industry datain much of the tropics the pasture under the ones dying now was forest within their grandparents’ lifetime. Global Forest Watch; Pendrill et al. 2019

dispute

dispute LGR-011 · corrections are credited

buffalo Bubalus bubalis

killed by humans: 30 million a year, so 0.951 a second. born to be killed: 33 million a year, 1.0 a second.

alive right now, in the queue (Little's law: rate × 730 days): 60 million. average time left: 365 days.

method

FAO slaughter statistics.

range

25–35 million/yr

weakness

none material.

lines shown, with sources

a buffalo can live twenty-five years. FAO

dispute

dispute LGR-012 · corrections are credited

silkworms Bombyx mori · estimated

boiled alive in their cocoons: 1 trillion a year, so 31 688 a second. hatched for it: 1 trillion a year, 31 688 a second.

alive right now, in the queue (Little's law: rate × 40 days): 110 billion. average time left: 20 days.

method

Rethink Priorities 2023: silk tonnage × cocoons per kg. births ≈ deaths (nearly all reared are killed).

range

420 billion–1 trillion/yr

weakness

cocoons-per-kg varies by strain; the site uses the top of the range. insects are counted on this ledger; some will object.

lines shown, with sources

about 6,600 cocoons for a kilogram of silk. the moth was domesticated five thousand years ago and can no longer fly. Rethink Priorities 2023; FAO / ISC silk statisticsif the ledger counts insects, and it does, this is among the largest channels on it. methodology note

dispute

dispute LGR-023 · corrections are credited

farmed insects crickets, mealworms, soldier fly larvae · estimated

killed: 1.2 trillion a year, so 38 026 a second. projected, a year, by 2030: ~5 trillion.

mostly for pet food, fish feed and chicken feed. not, mostly, for people.

method

Rethink Priorities 2023; Rowe 2020: farmed insects killed per year for food and feed, and 2030 projections.

range

1–1.2 trillion/yr now; 4–5 trillion by 2030

weakness

industry data are sparse and growing fast; the projection is the industry's own.

lines shown, with sources

the newest ledger. it is growing faster than any other channel here. Rethink Priorities 2023; Rowe 2020

dispute

dispute LGR-024 · corrections are credited

wild-caught fish many species

killed by humans: 2 trillion a year, so 63 376 a second. born: no ledger.

no ledger. nobody counts the ocean’s births, only the taking.

method

fishcount.org.uk estimate: FAO capture tonnage divided by species mean weights.

range

1.1–2.2 trillion/yr

weakness

the widest range on the site. excludes illegal, unreported and unregulated catch, which is substantial. the site uses ~2.0 trillion; the low end halves the number.

becomes a feed

Global Fishing Watch: every industrial vessel fishing right now, by name and flag

lines shown, with sources

about a tenth of what is caught is thrown back dead. FAO discards estimatesa third of assessed stocks are fished past what they can replace. FAO SOFIAabout 100,000 fishers die at sea every year. it is the deadliest job on earth, and some of the crews are not there by choice. FISH Safety Foundation 2022; ILO; EJFthe largest fishery on earth is one small fish, the peruvian anchoveta, and almost none of it is eaten by people. it is ground into meal for salmon, pigs and chickens. FAO; IFFO

dispute

dispute LGR-013 · corrections are credited

sharks Selachii

killed by humans: 100 million a year, so 3.2 a second. born: no ledger.

no ledger. nobody counts the ocean’s births, only the taking.

method

Worm et al. 2013 estimate of sharks killed per year across fisheries.

range

63–273 million/yr

weakness

a decade old; more recent work (Worm et al. 2024) suggests mortality has not fallen despite regulation.

lines shown, with sources

many are killed for their fins alone. some species live longer than we do. Worm et al. 2013

dispute

dispute LGR-014 · corrections are credited

dogs Canis familiaris

killed by humans: 30 million a year, so 0.951 a second. born: no ledger.

not bred for this. bought, worked, or taken.

method

Humane Society International estimates of dogs killed for meat, mostly in Asia.

range

10–30 million/yr

weakness

no official statistics anywhere. treat as order of magnitude.

lines shown, with sources

estimates vary widely. most were young. HSI estimates

dispute

dispute LGR-015 · corrections are credited

horses Equus caballus

killed by humans: 5 million a year, so 0.158 a second. born: no ledger.

not bred for this. bought, worked, or taken.

method

FAO slaughter statistics.

range

4–6 million/yr

weakness

none material.

lines shown, with sources

often after a working life. a horse can live thirty years. FAOthe united states stopped slaughtering horses in 2007 and started shipping them: tens of thousands a year to mexico and canada. USDA export data; ASPCAracing: about one horse dies for every thousand starts. Jockey Club Equine Injury Database

dispute

dispute LGR-016 · corrections are credited

camels Camelus dromedarius

killed by humans: 3 million a year, so 0.095 a second. born: no ledger.

not bred for this. bought, worked, or taken.

method

FAO slaughter statistics.

range

2.5–3.5 million/yr

weakness

none material.

lines shown, with sources

a camel can live forty years. FAO

dispute

dispute LGR-017 · corrections are credited

cats and dogs in shelters · united states only, until the country layer

killed because nobody came: 920 000 a year, so 0.029 a second. taken in: 6.3 million a year, 0.200 a second.

the rest found someone. the world number is not counted anywhere.

method

ASPCA / Shelter Animals Count: dogs and cats killed in US shelters per year, and intake.

range

killed 0.7–1.0 million/yr; intake 5.5–6.5 million/yr

weakness

united states only; the site says so in the label. no global series exists.

lines shown, with sources

it was thirteen to twenty million a year in the 1970s. spay and neuter did most of it. HSUS; ASPCA; Shelter Animals Countmost are healthy. they die of a lack of room, and of someone. ASPCA

dispute

dispute LGR-018 · corrections are credited

pangolins the most trafficked wild mammal on earth

killed for scales and meat · estimated: 200 000 a year, so 6.34e-3 a second. what the scales are made of: fingernail.

keratin. the same protein as your nails and hair. no medicine has ever been shown to be in it.

method

Wildlife Justice Commission and TRAFFIC seizure analyses scaled to trade; Challender et al. 2020.

range

100,000–400,000/yr; ~1 million 2000–2013

weakness

seizure-based; the true trade is larger by an unknown factor.

lines shown, with sources

china removed pangolin scales from its official pharmacopoeia in 2020. the trade continues. Wildlife Justice Commission 2020; Challender et al. 2020; TRAFFICabout a million were taken between 2000 and 2013. all eight species are now threatened. IUCN Pangolin Specialist Group

dispute

dispute LGR-020 · corrections are credited

songbirds killed illegally around the mediterranean

shot, netted, glued and trapped: 25 million a year, so 0.792 a second. of them, songbirds: no ledger.

most. blackcaps on lime sticks in cyprus, robins in italy, ortolans in the landes: kept in the dark, fattened, drowned in armagnac and eaten whole under a napkin. mitterrand’s last meal.

method

BirdLife International 2015 (Brochet et al.): illegal killing around the Mediterranean.

range

11–36 million/yr

weakness

illegal by definition, so estimated from surveys and enforcement data; excludes legal hunting, which is larger.

lines shown, with sources

egypt about 5.7 million a year, italy 5.6, syria 3.9, lebanon 2.6, cyprus 2.3. the range is eleven to thirty-six million. BirdLife International 2015, Brochet et al.ortolans have been protected in france since 1999. about 30,000 a year are still taken. the european population fell 84% between 1980 and 2012. LPO; European Bird Census Councilcyprus cut its trapping by four fifths in three years once it started fining people. it is creeping back. BirdLife Cyprus

dispute

dispute LGR-021 · corrections are credited

donkeys Equus asinus · skinned for gelatin, eaten, worked

killed for their hides and meat: 5.9 million a year, so 0.187 a second. left in the world: 53 million.

at this rate, half of them in five years. the hides go to china for ejiao, a gelatin sold as a tonic. the meat is mostly the same animals. the families in africa who used them lose their transport.

method

The Donkey Sanctuary 2019/2022 estimates of hides entering the ejiao trade; world population from FAO.

range

4.8–5.9 million/yr; population 44–53 million

weakness

trade is partly informal; the 'half in five years' line is a straight-line projection, stated as such.

lines shown, with sources

official statistics count about three to four million donkeys slaughtered for meat a year. the hide estimate is larger because much of the trade is informal, and most of the animals are both. there is no ledger for the ones worked to death. FAOSTAT; The Donkey Sanctuary 2019, 2022brazil, kenya and botswana banned the export. the trade moved. The Donkey Sanctuary 2019, 2022ejiao is boiled donkey skin. it is prescribed for anaemia and sold in cakes. Donkey Sanctuary; Ejiao trade reports

dispute

dispute LGR-022 · corrections are credited

horseshoe crabs Limulus polyphemus · united states

bled for their blue blood: 650 000 a year, so 0.021 a second. died of it: 100 000 a year, 3.17e-3 a second.

the rest are put back in the sea, paler. the blood is blue because it carries copper, not iron.

method

ASMFC 2023 biomedical bleeding counts; mortality from Krisfalusi-Gannon et al. 2018.

range

bled 600,000–1,000,000/yr; mortality 10–30%

weakness

post-release mortality is estimated, not observed.

lines shown, with sources

every vaccine and every injectable drug on earth is tested for contamination with an extract of their blood, or, since 2020, with a synthetic copy that most companies still do not use. ASMFC 2023; Krisfalusi-Gannon et al. 2018; European Pharmacopoeia 2020they are 450 million years old. older than trees. methodology note

dispute

dispute LGR-025 · corrections are credited

seahorses Hippocampus

dried, for medicine and curios: 37 million a year, so 1.2 a second. left in the wild: no ledger.

no ledger. most are bycatch of shrimp trawls, sold on instead of thrown back.

method

Lawson et al. 2017 (Project Seahorse) trade estimate.

range

20–37 million/yr

weakness

trade is largely undocumented; the figure is a decade old.

lines shown, with sources

the male carries the young. Project Seahorse; Lawson et al. 2017

dispute

dispute LGR-026 · corrections are credited

frogs for their legs · estimated

killed: 100 million a year, so 3.2 a second. left where they were taken: no ledger.

no ledger. most come wild from indonesia. when they go, the insects they ate stay, and pesticide use rises.

method

Auliya et al. 2016: EU import tonnage converted to individuals.

range

80–200 million/yr (EU imports only)

weakness

conversion from tonnes to individuals depends on species mix; excludes domestic consumption in asia.

lines shown, with sources

europe imports about four thousand tonnes of frogs’ legs a year, france and belgium first. Auliya et al. 2016; EU trade data

dispute

dispute LGR-027 · corrections are credited

whales Cetacea

killed by humans: 1 300 a year, so 4.12e-5 a second. born, free: 100 000 a year, 3.17e-3 a second.

the only ticking channel where the numbers diverge.

method

IWC catch records: commercial (Norway, Iceland, Japan) plus aboriginal subsistence takes. births from population size × birth rate.

range

deaths 1,000–1,600/yr; births 60,000–150,000/yr

weakness

birth number depends on population estimates that carry ±30% error.

lines shown, with sources

about three a day. many were older than you. IWC catch records

dispute

dispute LGR-028 · corrections are credited

chickens, ducks, turkeys culled for bird flu · estimated

killed by humans: 120 million a year, so 3.8 a second. found infected: no ledger.

a fraction. if one bird tests positive the whole shed is killed. gassed, foamed, or the ventilation shut off. not eaten. buried or composted.

method

WOAH and national reports of birds culled in HPAI outbreaks, annualised over 2021–2025.

range

50–200 million/yr, highly variable by year

weakness

outbreak years differ tenfold; the annual figure is an average, not a rate.

lines shown, with sources

over half a billion birds since 2021. the disease is a product of the sheds it is meant to protect: forty thousand near-identical birds in one room is how a virus learns. WOAH; USDA APHIS; Nature 2023in 2024 the same virus walked into american dairy herds, and then into people who milk them. CDC; USDA 2024-25these are on the animal ledger. they were killed by humans. nobody counts them as slaughter. methodology note

dispute

dispute LGR-029 · corrections are credited

badgers Meles meles · england

killed to protect cattle from tuberculosis: 20 000 a year, so 6.34e-4 a second. cattle killed for tuberculosis, england: 25 000 a year, 7.92e-4 a second.

the same disease, both sides of the fence.

method

DEFRA cull returns for England, annualised; cattle figures are DEFRA bovine TB slaughter statistics for England.

range

badgers 10,000–35,000/yr; cattle 20,000–30,000/yr

weakness

the cull is being wound down; the rate will fall. whether it reduces bovine TB is scientifically contested and the site says so.

lines shown, with sources

about 230,000 badgers shot since 2013. whether it lowers tb in cattle is contested. the ledger is not. DEFRA; Godfray review 2018; Langton et al. 2022tuberculosis crosses from cattle to people in unpasteurised milk: about 140,000 human cases and 11,000 deaths a year, mostly where milk is not treated. WHO / OIE / FAO 2017

dispute

dispute LGR-030 · corrections are credited

trophies animals killed for a trophy, traded across borders

trophies taken, all species: 170 000 a year, so 5.39e-3 a second. of them, threatened species: 20 000 a year, 6.34e-4 a second.

lions, elephants, leopards, rhinos, bears. most go to the united states.

method

IFAW 2016 analysis of CITES trade data: hunting trophies traded internationally 2004–2014, annualised; threatened-species share from the same.

range

150,000–200,000/yr; threatened 15,000–25,000/yr

weakness

trade records undercount trophies kept in-country; the lion-farm figures are NGO estimates the south african government has broadly confirmed.

lines shown, with sources

about 8,000 lions live on south african breeding farms, more than twice the country’s wild lions. petted as cubs, walked with as juveniles, shot in enclosures, sold as skeletons. the government voted to end it in 2021. it has not ended. Born Free; Four Paws; EMS Foundation; DFFE 20211.7 million trophies crossed borders in a decade. about one in eight was from a threatened species. IFAW 2016; CITES trade database

dispute

dispute LGR-019 · corrections are credited

fertilizer nitrogen, phosphate, potash

spread, in kilograms: 190 billion a year, so 6 021 a second. lost to air and water, in kilograms: 95 billion a year, 3 010 a second.

about half never reaches a plant.

method

FAO fertilizer statistics: total N + P2O5 + K2O nutrient use. losses = 1 − nitrogen use efficiency (~50%).

range

185–200 million tonnes/yr

weakness

'lost to air and water' applies a nitrogen efficiency figure to total nutrients, which overstates phosphate and potash losses; the order of magnitude holds.

lines shown, with sources

a third of the world’s cropland grows food for animals, not people. FAO; Mottet et al. 2017the runoff makes dead zones. the one in the gulf of mexico covers thousands of square kilometres each summer. NOAAabout six tonnes a second, every second. FAO fertilizer statistics

dispute

dispute LGR-031 · corrections are credited

pesticides herbicides, insecticides, fungicides

applied, in kilograms: 3.7 billion a year, so 117 a second. people poisoned, survived: 385 million a year, 12.2 a second.

mostly farmworkers. mostly unreported.

method

FAO pesticide use statistics (active ingredient). poisonings from Boedeker et al. 2020.

range

3.5–4.2 million tonnes/yr; poisonings 385 million/yr with wide CI

weakness

tonnage is not toxicity, and the site says so on screen. poisoning figure is a systematic review estimate.

lines shown, with sources

about 120 kilograms every second. FAO pesticide use statistics385 million people a year are poisoned by pesticides and live. about 11,000 don’t. Boedeker et al. 2020, BMC Public Healthparaquat is associated with parkinson’s disease. it is banned in the EU and manufactured there for export. Tanner et al. 2011; Unearthed 2020glyphosate is the most used pesticide on earth. the WHO’s cancer agency calls it probably carcinogenic. most regulators disagree. IARC 2015; EFSA; EPAa kilogram is not a kilogram. tonnage says nothing about toxicity. methodology note

dispute

dispute LGR-032 · corrections are credited

reservoirs evaporation from dammed water

evaporated, in cubic metres: 346 billion a year, so 10 964 a second. returned: no ledger.

no ledger. it goes to the sky, and comes down somewhere else, or not.

method

Tian et al. 2022 global reservoir evaporation estimate.

range

250–400 km³/yr

weakness

depends on reservoir surface area and climate data; the livestock water share is from a different study (Mekonnen & Hoekstra).

lines shown, with sources

about eleven thousand cubic metres a second. roughly a third of agriculture’s water goes to animals. Tian et al. 2022; Mekonnen & Hoekstra 2012dammed water evaporates faster than the river it replaced. the loss is designed in. methodology note

dispute

dispute LGR-033 · corrections are credited

groundwater pumped faster than rain refills it

depleted, in cubic metres: 283 billion a year, so 8 968 a second. refilled: no ledger.

no ledger. some aquifers took ten thousand years to fill.

method

Wada et al. 2010 global groundwater depletion; corroborated by GRACE satellite gravimetry.

range

200–300 km³/yr

weakness

regional depletion is well measured; global sums are less certain.

lines shown, with sources

about nine thousand cubic metres a second, mostly for irrigation: the north china plain, northwest india, the ogallala. Wada et al. 2010; GRACEseventy percent of all freshwater humans take goes to farming. FAO AQUASTAT

dispute

dispute LGR-034 · corrections are credited

forest cleared, and coming back

cleared, in hectares: 10 million a year, so 0.317 a second. regrown, in hectares: 5.3 million a year, 0.168 a second.

about half. much of it is plantation. some of it is forest.

method

FAO Forest Resources Assessment 2020: gross deforestation and gross expansion, 2015–2020.

range

loss 9–11 Mha/yr; gain 5–6 Mha/yr

weakness

FAO relies on national reporting; satellite products (GFW) show higher loss. 'regrown' includes plantations.

becomes a feed

GLAD deforestation alerts, weekly

lines shown, with sources

net loss has fallen from about 7.8 million hectares a year in the 1990s to about 4.7 million now. slower. not stopped. FAO Forest Resources Assessment 2020the largest single cause of clearing is cattle. then soy, palm oil, and wood. Pendrill et al. 2019; Curtis et al. 2018, Scienceabandoned farmland grows back on its own. nobody plants new england. it came back when the farms left. Foster & Aber 2004; forest transition literature

dispute

dispute LGR-035 · corrections are credited

foie gras ducks and geese, force-fed · already counted under ducks

force-fed: 40 million a year, so 1.3 a second. countries where it is illegal to make: over 20.

and legal in france, which makes three quarters of it. the eu bans it in principle and exempts it in practice.

method

CIFOG / EU production statistics: ducks and geese force-fed per year.

range

35–45 million/yr

weakness

a subset of the ducks channel; explicitly not added to the total.

lines shown, with sources

a tube down the throat two or three times a day for about two weeks. the liver swells to ten times its size. the medical name is hepatic steatosis. EFSA 1998; CIFOGnot added to the total on this page: these ducks are already there. methodology note

dispute

dispute LGR-036 · corrections are credited

what cats kill birds and small mammals · united states only

killed by cats we keep or abandoned: 16 billion a year, so 507 a second. worldwide: no ledger.

no ledger. australia counts about a billion and a half a year. most countries do not count.

method

Loss, Will & Marra 2013 (US); Murphy et al. 2019 (australia). midpoint of a wide range.

range

US: 1.3–4 billion birds and 6.3–22 billion mammals/yr

weakness

the widest range on the animal side of the site; explicitly not counted in the killed-by-humans total.

lines shown, with sources

not killed by humans, so not in the total on this page. killed by animals we breed, keep and let go. the range is wide: one to four billion birds, six to twenty-two billion mammals, a year, in one country. Loss, Will & Marra 2013, Nature Communications; Murphy et al. 2019 (australia)unowned cats do most of it. the ones we abandoned. Loss et al. 2013

dispute

dispute LGR-037 · corrections are credited

carbon carbon dioxide, tonnes

emitted: 41 billion a year, so 1 299 a second. captured by machines: 10 000 a year, 3.17e-4 a second.

direct air capture, all plants on earth. the ocean and the land take about half of the left column for free. the rest stays for centuries.

method

Global Carbon Budget 2024: fossil + land-use CO2. capture: IEA tracker of operating direct air capture.

range

emissions 39–42 Gt CO2/yr; DAC 0.005–0.05 Mt/yr

weakness

'captured by machines' excludes CCS at point sources (~45 Mt/yr), which is a different thing; the site compares air to air.

lines shown, with sources

about a quarter to a third of the left column is the food system: the animals, the feed, the cleared land, the fertilizer. Global Carbon Project 2024; Crippa et al. 2021the largest carbon capture plant on earth removes in a year what the world emits in about ten seconds. Climeworks Mammoth; IEA DAC trackerevery second on this page: about as much co2 as thirty cars driving for a year. Global Carbon Project; EPA

dispute

dispute LGR-038 · corrections are credited

soil topsoil, tonnes

eroded from farmland: 24 billion a year, so 761 a second. formed: 1 billion a year, 31.7 a second.

about a twenty-fifth. soil forms at roughly a centimetre a century. ploughed land loses it at roughly a millimetre a year.

method

UNCCD/FAO figure of ~24 Gt/yr; Borrelli et al. 2017 (36 Gt water erosion). formation from Montgomery 2007 rates × cropland area.

range

eroded 20–36 Gt/yr; formed 0.5–2 Gt/yr

weakness

both sides are modeled; the ratio (about 25×) is more robust than either number.

lines shown, with sources

a third of the world’s soil is degraded. most of the loss is from tilled cropland, and most of the cropland grows feed and grain. FAO 2015 Status of the World’s Soil Resources; Borrelli et al. 2017the dust bowl was this, in one decade, in one place. it is happening everywhere, slowly. Montgomery 2007, Dirt

dispute

dispute LGR-039 · corrections are credited

mines tailings and mercury

mine waste, tonnes: 14 billion a year, so 444 a second. mercury into rivers, kilograms: 840 000 a year, 0.027 a second.

the largest source of mercury pollution on earth is not industry. it is fifteen to twenty million people panning gold with quicksilver.

method

tailings from global mine production and ore grades (Adiansyah et al. 2015; Global Tailings Review); mercury from UNEP Global Mercury Assessment 2018 (ASGM share).

range

tailings 10–14 Gt/yr; ASGM mercury 700–1,000 t/yr

weakness

tailings tonnage is derived, not reported; ASGM mercury is by nature informal.

lines shown, with sources

tailings are held behind about 30,000 dams. brumadinho, 2019: 270 dead in minutes. nobody counts all the dams. ICOLD; Global Tailings Review 2020a phone holds about sixty elements. each one came out of a hole. USGSthis page is served from machines built from those holes. methodology note

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dispute LGR-040 · corrections are credited

data centres this page is running in one

electricity used, kilowatt-hours: 415 billion a year, so 13 151 a second. water evaporated to cool them: no ledger.

no ledger. most companies do not report it. one us estimate: seventeen billion gallons a year, in one country, direct use only.

method

IEA 2025 Energy and AI: 415 TWh in 2024, ~945 TWh projected 2030; water from LBNL 2024 US report.

range

400–450 TWh/yr; water: US only, direct only

weakness

changing fast; the number should be a feed within a year. the site's own footprint is not measured, only acknowledged.

lines shown, with sources

about one and a half percent of the world’s electricity now, and the fastest-growing use of it. the projection is more than double by 2030, mostly for ai. IEA 2025 Energy and AI; LBNL 2024the ledger’s own share is small and not zero. it is not exempt from itself. methodology note

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dispute LGR-041 · corrections are credited

concrete the most used substance on earth after water

poured, tonnes: 30 billion a year, so 951 a second. co2 from making the cement, tonnes: 2.5 billion a year, 79.2 a second.

about eight percent of the world’s emissions. if cement were a country it would be third.

method

USGS cement production (~4.1 Gt) scaled to concrete (~30 Gt); cement CO2 from GCP/Andrew.

range

concrete 25–33 Gt/yr; CO2 2.3–2.7 Gt/yr

weakness

concrete tonnage is inferred from cement; the 'weight of every living thing' comparison is Elhacham 2020 (biomass ~4 Gt wet).

lines shown, with sources

humans now pour more concrete each year than the weight of every living thing on earth. Elhacham et al. 2020, Nature; USGSsand is running out. the sand in deserts is the wrong shape. it is dredged from rivers and beaches, and the beaches go. UNEP 2019 Sand and Sustainability

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dispute LGR-042 · corrections are credited

shipping about 100,000 ships

fuel burned, tonnes: 300 million a year, so 9.5 a second. co2 from it, tonnes: 1 billion a year, 31.7 a second.

about three percent of the world’s. ninety percent of everything you own came by sea.

method

IMO Fourth GHG Study 2020: fuel and CO2; sulphur-cap warming from Yuan et al. 2024.

range

fuel 280–330 Mt/yr; CO2 0.9–1.1 Gt/yr

weakness

the warming effect of the sulphur cap is a modeled attribution, in the tens of hundredths of a degree over decades; stated as measurable, not large.

lines shown, with sources

in 2020 ships were made to cut the sulphur in their fuel by four fifths. the air over the sea got cleaner. the haze had been shading the ocean, and without it the ocean measurably warmed. cleaning one thing uncovered another. IMO 2020; Yuan et al. 2024, Communications Earth & Environmentmost of the tonnage is oil, coal, iron ore and grain. a good share of the grain is feed. UNCTAD Review of Maritime Transport

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dispute LGR-043 · corrections are credited

cruise ships about 300 of them

sewage discharged, litres: 3.8 billion a year, so 120 a second. passengers at sea right now: ~600 000.

about thirty million a year, a week each. a large ship burns about the fuel of a small town.

method

EPA 2008 discharge assessment scaled to today's fleet; passenger numbers from CLIA; T&E 2019 for sulphur.

range

sewage 3–5 billion litres/yr; at-sea passengers 500,000–700,000

weakness

discharge is estimated from per-passenger figures, not measured at sea.

lines shown, with sources

one company’s fleet emitted ten times the sulphur oxides of all of europe’s cars in one year. Transport & Environment 2019the sewage is legal beyond twelve miles. most of it is treated. some of it is not. nobody is out there checking. US EPA 2008 cruise ship discharge assessment; Friends of the Earth

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dispute LGR-044 · corrections are credited

manure from farmed animals, tonnes

produced: 3.5 billion a year, so 111 a second. human sewage, for scale: 500 million a year, 15.8 a second.

in the united states, livestock produce more than a hundred times the waste of people, and almost none of it is treated.

method

FAO livestock excretion estimates; US EPA for the livestock:human ratio; human sewage as an order-of-magnitude comparator.

range

3–4 Gt/yr (fresh weight)

weakness

wet vs dry weight is a factor of several; the site uses fresh weight for both sides.

lines shown, with sources

it is where the ammonia comes from, and the ammonia is where much of the farm air pollution comes from, and the air pollution is on this ledger under humans. US EPA; Domingo et al. 2021spread on fields it is fertilizer. in lagoons it is a lake. when the lagoon breaks, the river dies. NC hurricane floyd 1999; EPA CAFO reports

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dispute LGR-045 · corrections are credited

solar kilowatt-hours

from the sun: 2 trillion a year, so 63 376 a second. from coal: 10.4 trillion a year, 329 556 a second.

coal is still the largest source of electricity on earth. solar is the fastest-growing source of energy in history.

method

Ember 2025: solar generation ~2,000 TWh (2024); coal ~10,400 TWh. panels/second from ~600 GW installed per year at ~400 W each.

range

solar 1,900–2,200 TWh; coal 10,000–10,700 TWh

weakness

annual figures; both are moving fast in opposite directions, so this channel dates quickly and should be a feed.

lines shown, with sources

about 47 solar panels are installed somewhere on earth every second. solar was about seven percent of the world’s electricity in 2024, up from one percent in 2015. Ember Global Electricity Review 2025; IEAa panel repays the energy that made it in one to two years and runs for twenty-five to thirty. it is not free. it wins anyway. Fraunhofer ISE PV Report 2024; IPCC AR5 Annex IIImost panels are made in china on a coal grid. that is where their carbon comes from, and it is falling as the grid does. IEA Special Report on Solar PV Supply Chains 2022

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dispute LGR-046 · corrections are credited

satellites the sky, being fenced

launched: 3 000 a year, so 9.51e-5 a second. working, in orbit right now: ~13 00.

most belong to one company. around them: 40,000 tracked pieces of debris, and over a million too small to track.

method

launch rate from recent years (Jonathan McDowell); active count from CelesTrak/UCS.

range

2,500–3,500 launched/yr; 12,000–14,000 active

weakness

changes monthly; this is the channel most in need of a feed.

becomes a feed

Space-Track / CelesTrak, live catalogue

lines shown, with sources

this is the best-kept ledger on the site. every satellite is registered and tracked to the metre. we count the sky better than we count the sea. UN Registration Convention; Space-Track; CelesTrakalmost every number here comes from up there: the fires, the forest, the groundwater, the sea. the thing being counted is also the counter. NASA FIRMS; GRACE; Landsat; Copernicuswhen they fall, they burn, and leave aluminium oxide in the stratosphere. early evidence says it eats ozone. Ferreira et al. 2024, GRL; Murphy et al. 2023, PNASthe sky is getting brighter by about ten percent a year. a child born where 250 stars are visible will see about 100 by the time they are 18. Kyba et al. 2023, Science

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dispute LGR-047 · corrections are credited

extinctions species gone for good

gone forever · modeled: 500 a year, so 1.58e-5 a second. recorded, since 1500: ~900.

no ledger. most species were never named, so most extinctions are never recorded. the two columns disagree by a factor of hundreds; that is the finding.

method

modeled rate set mid-literature (~500 species/yr); documented count from the IUCN Red List (EX + EW).

range

100–30,000/yr depending on method; documented ~900 since 1500

weakness

the largest disagreement on the site, by design shown as two columns. the ticking number is a stand-in for a range that spans two orders of magnitude.

lines shown, with sources

the modeled rate runs from about a hundred a year to tens of thousands, depending on the method. this counter sits in the middle. the range is the honest number. Pimm et al. 2014; Ceballos et al. 2015; IUCN Red Liston land the leading cause is farming. at sea it is fishing. of threatened land vertebrates, most are threatened by agriculture. IPBES 2019; Tilman et al. 2017a million species are threatened with extinction, many within decades. IPBES 2019

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dispute LGR-048 · corrections are credited

humans Homo sapiens

died from pesticide poisoning: 11 000 a year, so 3.49e-4 a second. poisoned, survived: 385 million a year, 12.2 a second.

unintentional. the self-poisoning figure is larger and lives in the methodology, handled with care.

method

Boedeker et al. 2020: unintentional acute poisoning deaths.

range

~11,000/yr; wide CI

weakness

excludes chronic disease and self-poisoning (110,000–168,000/yr, Mew et al. 2017), which lives here and not on the front door, handled with care.

becomes a feed

OpenAQ, air in ten thousand cities right now

lines shown, with sources

most are farmworkers in low and middle income countries. Boedeker et al. 2020

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dispute LGR-049 · corrections are credited

humans Homo sapiens

died early from farm air pollution: 600 000 a year, so 0.019 a second. the livestock share: no ledger.

most of it. ammonia from manure and fertilizer becomes fine particulate.

method

agricultural share of PM2.5 mortality from Lelieveld et al. 2015; livestock share from Domingo et al. 2021 (US).

range

400,000–800,000/yr

weakness

attribution models differ; the site uses the order of magnitude and says so.

becomes a feed

OpenAQ, air in ten thousand cities right now

lines shown, with sources

an estimate with a wide range. the point is the order of magnitude. Lelieveld et al. 2015; Domingo et al. 2021

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dispute LGR-050 · corrections are credited

humans Homo sapiens

died early from breathing outdoor air: 4.7 million a year, so 0.149 a second. from cooking smoke, indoors: 3.1 million a year, 0.098 a second.

mostly women and children. mostly wood, dung and coal. about two billion people still cook this way.

method

State of Global Air 2024 / GBD 2021 for outdoor PM2.5 and household air pollution.

range

outdoor 4–5 million/yr; household 2.5–3.5 million/yr

weakness

none material for the totals; the food-system share is not quantified here.

becomes a feed

OpenAQ, air in ten thousand cities right now

lines shown, with sources

about eight million a year in all. more than malaria, tuberculosis and hiv together. State of Global Air 2024; WHOboth numbers are falling in most of the world and rising in south asia. the smoke moved. it did not go away. AQLI; State of Global Air 2024a share of delhi’s winter air is farmers burning rice stubble to plant wheat. that share is on this site’s ledger. IIT Kanpur; SAFAR; CREA

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dispute LGR-051 · corrections are credited

humans Homo sapiens

killed by animals: 1 million a year, so 0.032 a second. killed by other humans, for scale: 460 000 a year, 0.015 a second.

the deadliest animal on earth is the mosquito, about seven hundred thousand a year. the second is us.

method

WHO and GBD 2019: malaria + dengue + other vector-borne (mosquito ~700k), snakebite, rabies, schistosomiasis, Chagas, leishmaniasis, large animals from incident databases.

range

0.8–1.2 million/yr

weakness

attributes vector-borne disease deaths to the vector; the parasite does the killing. the large-animal counts are order of magnitude.

becomes a feed

OpenAQ, air in ten thousand cities right now

lines shown, with sources

snakes about a hundred thousand. dogs, by rabies, about sixty thousand. freshwater snails, by schistosomiasis, about twelve thousand. crocodiles about a thousand. hippos about five hundred. sharks about ten. WHO; GBD 2019; CrocBITE; ISAFsharks kill about ten people a year. people kill about a hundred million sharks. both are on this ledger. ISAF; Worm et al. 2013tsetse flies killed tens of thousands a year in the 1990s and fewer than a thousand now. because we treated, and because we trapped the flies. WHO sleeping sickness

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dispute LGR-052 · corrections are credited

humans Homo sapiens

killed by other humans: 460 000 a year, so 0.015 a second. killed in armed conflict: 200 000 a year, 6.34e-3 a second.

the war count is always contested and always late. the murder count is only slightly better.

method

UNODC Global Study on Homicide (2021 data); conflict deaths from Uppsala/ACLED, annualised.

range

homicide 400,000–500,000/yr; conflict 100,000–300,000/yr

weakness

conflict counts lag by years and vary by source by a factor of two.

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OpenAQ, air in ten thousand cities right now

lines shown, with sources

about 250,000 people are shot dead a year, a third of them murdered, most of the rest by their own hand. eight in ten murder victims are men. so are most of the killers. UNODC Global Study on Homicide 2023; Naghavi et al. 2018at least 1,500 executions were recorded last year. china executes thousands and does not say. terrorism killed about eight thousand. Amnesty International 2024; Global Terrorism Index 2024

dispute

dispute LGR-053 · corrections are credited

humans Homo sapiens

killed on the roads: 1.2 million a year, so 0.038 a second. of them, on foot or on a bicycle: 350 000 a year, 0.011 a second.

the leading cause of death for people aged five to twenty-nine. most of the dead are not in the cars.

method

WHO Global Status Report on Road Safety 2023; vulnerable-user share and alcohol share from the same.

range

1.1–1.3 million/yr

weakness

many countries under-report; WHO models the gap.

becomes a feed

OpenAQ, air in ten thousand cities right now

lines shown, with sources

about a quarter of road deaths involve alcohol. in some countries a third. WHO Global Status Report on Road Safety 2023nine in ten road deaths are in low and middle income countries, which have six in ten of the vehicles. WHO 2023

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dispute LGR-054 · corrections are credited

humans Homo sapiens

killed by tobacco: 8 million a year, so 0.254 a second. of them, from someone else’s smoke: 1.3 million a year, 0.041 a second.

the largest single preventable cause of death on earth. legal everywhere.

method

WHO tobacco fact sheet: >8 million/yr including ~1.3 million from second-hand smoke.

range

7.5–8.5 million/yr

weakness

attributable-fraction estimate; the strongest such estimate in epidemiology.

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OpenAQ, air in ten thousand cities right now

lines shown, with sources

more than malaria, tuberculosis and hiv together, every year, and it is sold in shops. WHO tobacco fact sheet 2023smoking is falling almost everywhere. because we taxed it, banned it indoors, and stopped letting it advertise. slowly. WHO global tobacco trends 2024

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dispute LGR-055 · corrections are credited

humans Homo sapiens

killed by alcohol: 2.6 million a year, so 0.082 a second. killed by other drugs: 600 000 a year, 0.019 a second.

one legal in most places, one mostly not. the ledger does not sort by law.

method

WHO Global Status Report on Alcohol 2024 (2.6M); UNODC World Drug Report for other drugs (~0.6M).

range

alcohol 2.4–3.0 million/yr; drugs 0.5–0.7 million/yr

weakness

attributable-fraction estimates; drug deaths are undercounted where they are criminal.

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OpenAQ, air in ten thousand cities right now

lines shown, with sources

alcohol kills about four times as many people as all illegal drugs together. WHO Global Status Report on Alcohol 2024; UNODC World Drug Reportoverdose deaths in the united states passed 100,000 a year in 2021, mostly fentanyl. they have started to fall. CDC WONDER

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dispute LGR-056 · corrections are credited

humans Homo sapiens

died of infections passed by sex: 1.1 million a year, so 0.035 a second. newly infected with hiv: 1.3 million a year, 0.041 a second.

hiv about 630,000, cervical cancer from hpv about 350,000, syphilis and hepatitis the rest.

method

UNAIDS (HIV deaths ~630k), WHO/IARC (cervical cancer ~350k, nearly all HPV), WHO (syphilis, hepatitis B share).

range

1.0–1.3 million/yr

weakness

attribution of hepatitis B deaths to sexual transmission is partial; the site counts a share.

becomes a feed

OpenAQ, air in ten thousand cities right now

lines shown, with sources

hiv came from chimpanzees, by bushmeat, around 1920. the animal ledger again. Worobey et al. 2008; Sharp & Hahn 2011the hpv vaccine is ending cervical cancer where it is used: in vaccinated scottish women, no cases at all. because we vaccinated. Palmer et al. 2024, JNCI; WHO cervical cancer elimination initiative

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dispute LGR-057 · corrections are credited

humans Homo sapiens

killed by lead: 1.5 million a year, so 0.048 a second. the true number: no ledger.

no ledger. one recent estimate is 5.5 million, four times the old one. nobody is sure, and the range is the finding.

method

GBD 2019 (~0.9M) and Larsen & Sandahl 2023 (~5.5M cardiovascular); the site shows 1.5M and states the range as the finding.

range

0.9–5.5 million/yr

weakness

the widest range on the human side of the site, by design shown as a dash for 'the true number'.

becomes a feed

OpenAQ, air in ten thousand cities right now

lines shown, with sources

leaded petrol was banned in the last country, algeria, in 2021. children’s blood lead has fallen about tenfold where it was banned. because we stopped. UNEP 2021; CDC NHANESit is still in old paint, old pipes, some spices, some pots, some cosmetics, and the batteries we recycle badly. Larsen & Sandahl 2023, Lancet Planetary Health; Pure Earth

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dispute LGR-058 · corrections are credited

humans Homo sapiens

killed by dirty water and no toilet: 1.4 million a year, so 0.044 a second. of them, children under five: 395 000 a year, 0.013 a second.

diarrhoeal disease, mostly. water is a plumbing problem, and plumbing is a decision.

method

WHO burden of disease from inadequate WASH 2023 (1.4M); child share from the same.

range

1.2–1.6 million/yr

weakness

attributable-fraction estimate; diarrhoeal deaths are also falling fast, so this dates.

becomes a feed

OpenAQ, air in ten thousand cities right now

lines shown, with sources

about 2 billion people drink water contaminated with faeces. about 3.5 billion have no safely managed toilet. WHO/UNICEF JMP 2023; WHO burden of disease from WASH 2023

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dispute LGR-059 · corrections are credited

humans Homo sapiens

killed at work: 2.9 million a year, so 0.092 a second. of them, in accidents: 330 000 a year, 0.010 a second.

the rest is disease: dust, chemicals, heat, hours. most of it in the supply chains of things you own.

method

ILO 2023 estimates: ~2.9M work-related deaths incl. disease; ~330k accidents; fishing from FISH Safety Foundation 2022.

range

2.6–3.2 million/yr

weakness

occupational disease attribution is modeled; the fishing figure is an NGO estimate several times the old official one.

becomes a feed

OpenAQ, air in ten thousand cities right now

lines shown, with sources

fishing is the deadliest job on earth: about 100,000 a year. mining, construction and farming follow. ILO 2023; FISH Safety Foundation 2022slaughterhouse workers are hurt at about twice the average rate. in the united states, an amputation about every week. US GAO 2016; OSHA severe injury reports

dispute

dispute LGR-060 · corrections are credited

humans Homo sapiens

died of hunger and its diseases: 9 million a year, so 0.285 a second. calories grown per person per day: ~2 900.

the world grows enough. about a third of the crop goes to animals, and most of what they eat does not come back as food.

method

widely used UN-based estimate of ~9 million hunger-related deaths/yr; calories per capita from FAO food balance sheets; feed share from Cassidy et al. 2013.

range

7–11 million/yr

weakness

'hunger-related' includes deaths where undernutrition is a contributing cause; the number is contested and the site rounds.

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OpenAQ, air in ten thousand cities right now

lines shown, with sources

about 25,000 a day, half of them children. it is not a shortage. it is a distribution. FAO SOFI 2024; UN WFP; Cassidy et al. 2013every channel on this site is one channel. methodology note

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dispute LGR-061 · corrections are credited

humans Homo sapiens

killed by heat: 490 000 a year, so 0.016 a second. of them, from the warming we caused: 180 000 a year, 5.70e-3 a second.

about a third of heat deaths are now attributable to human warming. the share rises every year.

method

Zhao et al. 2021 (heat deaths ~490k); Vicedo-Cabrera et al. 2021 for the anthropogenic share (~37%).

range

400,000–600,000/yr; attributable share 20–50%

weakness

attribution studies cover a subset of countries; the site applies the share globally.

becomes a feed

OpenAQ, air in ten thousand cities right now

lines shown, with sources

cold still kills more people than heat, about 4.6 million a year. that is falling. this is rising. Zhao et al. 2021, Lancet Planetary Health; Vicedo-Cabrera et al. 2021the people who die of heat are mostly old, poor, and outdoors: farm workers, builders, the unhoused. WHO; ILO

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dispute LGR-062 · corrections are credited

humans Homo sapiens

died from drug-resistant infections: 1.3 million a year, so 0.040 a second. the share from farm antibiotics: no ledger.

no ledger. most of the world’s antibiotics go to animals. no one has measured what comes back.

method

Murray et al. 2022 (GRAM): deaths directly attributable to bacterial AMR, 2019.

range

0.9–1.7 million/yr

weakness

the farm-antibiotic share is unquantified, and the site shows a dash rather than a number.

becomes a feed

OpenAQ, air in ten thousand cities right now

lines shown, with sources

1.27 million deaths a year directly attributable to resistance. the farm share is unquantified, not zero. Murray et al. 2022; Van Boeckel et al. 2019

dispute

dispute LGR-063 · corrections are credited

the amazon active fires, last 24 hours · nasa firms

fires detected · feed not connected: ? (placeholder). lit on purpose: no ledger.

most. the forest does not burn on its own; it is cut, dried, and set alight for pasture and soy.

method

placeholder for NASA FIRMS active fire detections in the last 24 hours, Amazon biome.

range

hundreds (wet season) to tens of thousands (peak days)

weakness

a stand-in number until wired. clearly badged.

becomes a feed

NASA FIRMS, active fires every 3 hours

lines shown, with sources

this is the site’s first feed: satellite fire detections over the amazon in the last 24 hours, counted every three hours. when the feed is down or not yet wired, the number is a question mark, not a guess. NASA FIRMS (VIIRS); INPE; MapBiomas

dispute

dispute LGR-064 · corrections are credited

the sea global surface temperature

method

global sea-surface temperature anomaly by year (HadSST/NOAA), difference between birth year and now.

range

±0.05°C on any year's anomaly

weakness

food-system share of warming (a quarter to a third) is from emissions share (Crippa 2021), not a warming attribution study.

becomes a feed

NOAA OISST, daily

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dispute LGR-065 · corrections are credited

the ozone hole antarctic, peak area

method

NASA Ozone Watch maximum daily area by year; healing date from WMO 2022.

range

year-to-year variation ±5 million km²

weakness

a single-year value is noisy; the trend is not.

dispute

dispute LGR-066 · corrections are credited

humpback whales Megaptera novaeangliae

method

IUCN/IWC population estimates by decade, interpolated.

range

±25% on any decade

weakness

decade anchors, interpolated. wants a proper series.

dispute

dispute LGR-067 · corrections are credited

the aral sea once the fourth largest lake on earth

method

NASA Earth Observatory / UNEP surface area by decade.

range

±10%

weakness

the sea has fragmented; 'area' is the sum of the remnants.

dispute

dispute LGR-068 · corrections are credited

dead zones coastal waters too low in oxygen for animals

method

Diaz & Rosenberg 2008 counts by decade; Breitburg et al. 2018 for recent totals.

range

500–700+ current sites depending on definition

weakness

a count of known sites rises with monitoring effort as well as with pollution.

dispute

dispute LGR-069 · corrections are credited

drug resistance deaths a year directly attributable

method

GRAM estimates 1990–2021; forecast to 2050 from Naghavi et al. 2024.

range

as above

weakness

no data before 1990, shown as a dash.

dispute

dispute LGR-070 · corrections are credited

european bison Bison bonasus

method

European Bison Pedigree Book, decade anchors interpolated.

range

±10%

weakness

interpolated between anchors.

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dispute LGR-071 · corrections are credited

eurasian beavers Castor fiber

method

Halley, Saveljev & Rosell 2021 with earlier anchors.

range

±25% on early decades

weakness

early-century numbers are reconstructions.

dispute

dispute LGR-072 · corrections are credited

wolves in europe Canis lupus

method

Chapron et al. 2014; LCIE 2023; excludes Russia.

range

±15%

weakness

pre-1990 anchors are rough.

dispute

dispute LGR-073 · corrections are credited

bald eagles Haliaeetus leucocephalus, lower 48 states

method

USFWS breeding-pair counts, lower 48 states.

range

±10%

weakness

none material.

dispute

dispute LGR-074 · corrections are credited

costa rica forest cover

method

FONAFIFO / SINAC forest cover by year.

range

±5 percentage points

weakness

definitions of 'forest' changed over the century.

dispute

dispute LGR-075 · corrections are credited

europe’s forests growing, not shrinking

method

FAO FRA 2020, Europe incl. Russia, 1990–2020 change (~+22 Mha).

range

±10%

weakness

'roughly the UK' is a size analogy; the UK is 24 Mha.

dispute

dispute LGR-076 · corrections are credited

the land what comes back, if we stop

method

Poore & Nemecek 2018 (farmland reduction without animal products); Hayek et al. 2021 (carbon opportunity cost).

range

land −70 to −80%; carbon 330–550 Gt CO2

weakness

a scenario, not a prediction, and shown as 'if we stopped'.

dispute

dispute LGR-077 · corrections are credited

satellites working, in orbit

method

active satellites by year, McDowell/UCS.

range

±10%

weakness

none material.

becomes a feed

Space-Track / CelesTrak, live catalogue

dispute

dispute LGR-078 · corrections are credited

london’s air smoke and fine particulate, annual mean

method

annual mean smoke (pre-1990) and PM2.5 (post-1990) in µg/m³, harmonised approximately from Fouquet 2011, Brimblecombe 1987 and DEFRA/LAQN.

range

±30% on historical years

weakness

two different metrics stitched together; the shape is robust, the exact ratio is not.

becomes a feed

London Air Quality Network, hourly

dispute

dispute LGR-079 · corrections are credited

the smoke where it went

method

annual mean PM2.5 (or smoke) in µg/m³ for named cities and years.

range

±20%

weakness

London 1890 is a reconstruction (Fouquet).

becomes a feed

OpenAQ

dispute

dispute LGR-080 · corrections are credited

polio children paralysed by wild poliovirus, a year

method

WHO/GPEI wild poliovirus paralytic cases by year; pre-1988 back-estimates.

range

pre-1988 ±50%

weakness

the pre-1988 numbers are estimates and labelled so.

dispute

dispute LGR-081 · corrections are credited

smallpox Variola

method

WHO; Fenner et al. 1988.

range

20th-century deaths 300–500 million

weakness

none material.

dispute

dispute LGR-082 · corrections are credited

measles a cattle virus, deaths a year

method

WHO measles deaths by year; pre-1980 estimates.

range

±30% on any year

weakness

pre-vaccine figures are estimates.

dispute

dispute LGR-083 · corrections are credited

rinderpest the cattle plague, gone

method

FAO/OIE eradication record.

range

n/a

weakness

none.

dispute

dispute LGR-084 · corrections are credited

plague Yersinia pestis, still here

method

WHO reported cases; historical mortality from Bramanti et al. 2016.

range

1,000–3,000 cases/yr

weakness

reporting varies; Madagascar dominates.

dispute

dispute LGR-085 · corrections are credited

tuberculosis the deadliest infection on earth, deaths a year

method

WHO Global TB Report deaths by year (HIV-negative and positive).

range

±10%

weakness

no global series before 1990.

dispute

dispute LGR-086 · corrections are credited

where diseases come from the animal ledger, again

method

Taylor et al. 2001 (61% zoonotic); Jones et al. 2008 (75% of emerging).

range

n/a

weakness

COVID origin stated as 'most likely' per Worobey et al. 2022; contested.

dispute

dispute LGR-087 · corrections are credited

blue whales Balaenoptera musculus

method

IWC/IUCN by decade, interpolated.

range

±40% on current global count

weakness

global count is poorly known; Antarctic population best studied.

dispute

dispute LGR-088 · corrections are credited

tigers Panthera tigris

method

WWF/Global Tiger Forum counts; 1900 estimate.

range

±15% now; ±50% in 1900

weakness

1900 figure is a widely repeated estimate, not a count.

dispute

dispute LGR-089 · corrections are credited

black rhinos Diceros bicornis

method

IUCN AfRSG.

range

±10%

weakness

none material.

dispute

dispute LGR-090 · corrections are credited

african elephants Loxodonta

method

Great Elephant Census 2016; IUCN.

range

±15%

weakness

forest elephants poorly counted.

dispute

dispute LGR-091 · corrections are credited

giant pandas Ailuropoda melanoleuca

method

China national surveys.

range

±10%

weakness

survey intervals of a decade.

dispute

dispute LGR-092 · corrections are credited

mountain gorillas Gorilla beringei beringei

method

IUCN; Dian Fossey Fund census.

range

±5%

weakness

none material.

dispute

dispute LGR-093 · corrections are credited

kakapo Strigops habroptilus

method

NZ DOC; every bird known.

range

exact

weakness

none.

dispute

dispute LGR-094 · corrections are credited

vaquita Phocoena sinus

method

CIRVA/IUCN acoustic and visual surveys.

range

6–12 in recent years

weakness

none material; the number is small and the range is honest.

dispute

dispute LGR-095 · corrections are credited

your share if you eat meat, and roughly like the world average

method

meals: two of three with an animal in them (700/yr) as a floor for distinct animals consumed; mass from FAO food supply per capita by year × edible share; killed-outright from per-capita slaughter and catch by year.

range

meals ±30%; mass ±20%; sea count 1–2.2 trillion/yr basis

weakness

the distinct-animals count is a floor by construction; the true number is unknowable because meat is pooled. world average until a country is set.

dispute

dispute LGR-096 · corrections are credited

shelters dogs and cats killed in shelters · united states

method

HSUS/ASPCA/Shelter Animals Count decade anchors, interpolated.

range

±30% on early decades

weakness

1970s figures are ranges (13–20 million); the site uses the low end.

dispute

dispute LGR-097 · corrections are credited

lions and tigers more in cages than in the wild

method

WWF wild tiger estimate; US captive tiger estimates (Nowell 2007, later NGO counts); Born Free / EMS Foundation for south african captive lions.

range

US captive tigers 5,000–10,000; SA captive lions 8,000–12,000

weakness

captive counts are NGO estimates; no registry exists in the US.

dispute

dispute LGR-098 · corrections are credited

vultures a cattle painkiller, a dog, a virus, a person

method

Frank & Sudarshan 2024 (AER) mortality estimate; Green et al. 2004 for the diclofenac mechanism.

range

human deaths 400,000–600,000 over 2000–2005

weakness

a difference-in-differences estimate; causal, contested at the margins, large in any version.

dispute

dispute LGR-099 · corrections are credited

sparrows china, 1958

method

historical: Shapiro 2001; Dikötter 2010.

range

n/a

weakness

the famine had many causes; the site says so.

dispute

dispute LGR-100 · corrections are credited

passenger pigeons Ectopistes migratorius

method

Schorger 1955; Smithsonian.

range

3–5 billion pre-decline

weakness

none material.

dispute

dispute LGR-101 · corrections are credited

american bison Bison bison

method

Hornaday 1889 (325 in 1884); NPS and USDA census for later years, interpolated.

range

±20% on early anchors

weakness

'wild' vs 'ranched' is stated on screen; most of the recovery is ranched.

dispute

dispute LGR-102 · corrections are credited

whale oil what saved them the first time

method

historical: Starbuck 1878; Tønnessen & Johnsen 1982.

range

n/a

weakness

none material.

dispute

dispute LGR-103 · corrections are credited

ivory and plastic billiard balls

method

Meikle 1995 (celluloid); Elhacham et al. 2020 (anthropogenic mass vs biomass); Geyer et al. 2017; CITES MIKE for poaching.

range

plastic ~8 Gt cumulative vs animal biomass ~4 Gt wet

weakness

the 'twice' compares cumulative plastic ever made with living animal mass; both are estimates.

dispute

dispute LGR-104 · corrections are credited

the red in your yoghurt cochineal and lac

method

FDA regulations on carmine; Reisenman 2015 on cochineal yield.

range

70,000 insects per pound is the standard figure

weakness

many brands have switched to plant reds; 'until recently' is doing work.

dispute

dispute LGR-105 · corrections are credited

almonds two million hives on flatbeds

method

USDA NASS pollination data; Bee Informed Partnership annual loss survey; Klein et al. 2007.

range

1.8–2.5 million hives; 30–48% annual loss

weakness

'a third of what you eat' is by crop variety, not calories, and the site says so.

dispute

dispute LGR-106 · corrections are credited

cod newfoundland, 1992

method

Hutchings & Myers 1994; DFO Canada.

range

n/a

weakness

a limited fishery reopened in 2024; 'mostly' carries that.

dispute

dispute LGR-107 · corrections are credited

lake victoria the nile perch

method

Witte et al. 1992; Pringle 2005.

range

~200 endemic cichlids lost or presumed

weakness

some species survive in refugia; counts vary.

dispute

dispute LGR-108 · corrections are credited

bear bile about 12,000 bears

method

Animals Asia; Feng et al. 2009.

range

10,000–12,000 bears

weakness

no registry; NGO counts.

dispute

dispute LGR-109 · corrections are credited

every roof if every suitable roof on earth had panels

method

Joshi et al. 2021: global rooftop PV technical potential ~27 PWh/yr; NREL 2016 for the US share.

range

technical potential 20–30 PWh/yr; economic potential lower

weakness

technical potential is not deliverable electricity: night, seasons and storage are the gap, and the screen says so.

dispute

dispute LGR-144 · corrections are credited

the cost of a panel what it takes, what it gives

method

lifecycle CO2 per kWh from IPCC AR5 harmonized medians (PV ~48, falling toward ~20 in recent studies; coal 820; gas 490); energy payback from Fraunhofer ISE.

range

PV 15–60 gCO2/kWh depending on grid of manufacture and irradiance

weakness

lifecycle numbers depend on where the panel is made and where it is used; the ratio to coal is robust, the exact grams are not.

dispute

dispute LGR-145 · corrections are credited

the deadliest animals people killed a year, by animal

method

as the animals channel; the human figure is UNODC homicide.

range

n/a

weakness

the small counts (wolf, shark, lion) vary year to year by a factor of two.

dispute

dispute LGR-146 · corrections are credited

modern slavery about 50 million people, today

method

ILO / Walk Free / IOM Global Estimates of Modern Slavery 2022.

range

45–55 million

weakness

survey-based estimates in a hidden population; the direction is not in doubt.

dispute

dispute LGR-147 · corrections are credited

bobby calves what a bobby is, and what happens to the sons

method

FAO dairy cow numbers (~270 million) × calving rate (~0.85) × half male; national figures from MPI NZ, Dairy Australia, AHDB.

range

90–130 million male dairy calves/yr

weakness

the fate split (days / veal / dairy-beef) varies by country and is stated as such; 'almost all killed young' is true everywhere, the age is not.

dispute

dispute LGR-148 · corrections are credited

someone born in 1955 an average life so far, at the world average · if they eat meat

method

as 'your share', for a fixed birth year: world-average per-capita slaughter, catch and food supply integrated from that year to now.

range

meals ±30%; mass ±20%; sea count on a 1–2.2 trillion/yr basis

weakness

a world-average person of that age; nobody is average. the point is the size, not the decimals.

dispute

dispute LGR-149 · corrections are credited

someone born in 1972 an average life so far, at the world average · if they eat meat

method

as 'someone born in 1955'.

range

as above

weakness

as above.

dispute

dispute LGR-150 · corrections are credited

someone born in 1988 an average life so far, at the world average · if they eat meat

method

as 'someone born in 1955'.

range

as above

weakness

as above.

dispute

dispute LGR-151 · corrections are credited

someone born in 2004 an average life so far, at the world average · if they eat meat

method

as 'someone born in 1955'.

range

as above

weakness

as above.

dispute

dispute LGR-152 · corrections are credited

wild animals average change in monitored populations

method

WWF Living Planet Index 2024, 1970 = 1, interpolated.

range

index CI roughly ±10 points

weakness

an average of population trends, not a count of animals; the site says so on screen.

dispute

dispute LGR-153 · corrections are credited

mammals, by weight everything with fur, warm blood and milk

method

Bar-On, Phillips & Milo 2018 biomass census.

range

±10% on shares

weakness

none material.

dispute

dispute LGR-154 · corrections are credited

wildfire the honest version

method

Andela et al. 2017 (global burned area trend); Abatzoglou & Williams 2016; Copernicus CAMS; INPE.

range

n/a

weakness

regional statements are summarised; each wants its own series.

dispute

dispute LGR-155 · corrections are credited

model to feed the roadmap

method

the roadmap.

range

n/a

weakness

n/a

dispute

dispute undefined · corrections are credited

if you stopped eating meat one person, one year · world average · order of magnitude

method

per-person, per-year estimate from the cited study (Wynes & Nicholas 2017; Poore & Nemecek 2018; Vanham et al. 2013), world-average where the study allows; the million-people column is straight multiplication. 'for scale' divides by 0.8 t CO2e, the meat-free yardstick.

range

roughly ±50%: households, grids and countries differ widely

weakness

a world-average person. your number depends on where you live and how you already live; the country layer will narrow it. the ranking between actions is far more robust than any single figure.

dispute

dispute LGR-110 · corrections are credited

if you ate half as much meat one person, one year · world average · order of magnitude

method

per-person, per-year estimate from the cited study (Poore & Nemecek 2018), world-average where the study allows; the million-people column is straight multiplication. 'for scale' divides by 0.8 t CO2e, the meat-free yardstick.

range

roughly ±50%: households, grids and countries differ widely

weakness

a world-average person. your number depends on where you live and how you already live; the country layer will narrow it. the ranking between actions is far more robust than any single figure.

dispute

dispute LGR-111 · corrections are credited

if you skipped meat one day a week one person, one year · world average · order of magnitude

method

per-person, per-year estimate from the cited study (Wynes & Nicholas 2017), world-average where the study allows; the million-people column is straight multiplication. 'for scale' divides by 0.8 t CO2e, the meat-free yardstick.

range

roughly ±50%: households, grids and countries differ widely

weakness

a world-average person. your number depends on where you live and how you already live; the country layer will narrow it. the ranking between actions is far more robust than any single figure.

dispute

dispute LGR-112 · corrections are credited

if you gave up beef and lamb only one person, one year · world average · order of magnitude

method

per-person, per-year estimate from the cited study (Poore & Nemecek 2018), world-average where the study allows; the million-people column is straight multiplication. 'for scale' divides by 0.8 t CO2e, the meat-free yardstick.

range

roughly ±50%: households, grids and countries differ widely

weakness

a world-average person. your number depends on where you live and how you already live; the country layer will narrow it. the ranking between actions is far more robust than any single figure.

dispute

dispute LGR-113 · corrections are credited

if you swapped beef for chicken one person, one year · world average · order of magnitude

method

per-person, per-year estimate from the cited study (Poore & Nemecek 2018; FAO), world-average where the study allows; the million-people column is straight multiplication. 'for scale' divides by 0.8 t CO2e, the meat-free yardstick.

range

roughly ±50%: households, grids and countries differ widely

weakness

a world-average person. your number depends on where you live and how you already live; the country layer will narrow it. the ranking between actions is far more robust than any single figure.

dispute

dispute LGR-114 · corrections are credited

if you gave up dairy one person, one year · world average · order of magnitude

method

per-person, per-year estimate from the cited study (Poore & Nemecek 2018; Mekonnen & Hoekstra 2012), world-average where the study allows; the million-people column is straight multiplication. 'for scale' divides by 0.8 t CO2e, the meat-free yardstick.

range

roughly ±50%: households, grids and countries differ widely

weakness

a world-average person. your number depends on where you live and how you already live; the country layer will narrow it. the ranking between actions is far more robust than any single figure.

dispute

dispute LGR-115 · corrections are credited

if you gave up shrimp one person, one year · world average · order of magnitude

method

per-person, per-year estimate from the cited study (fishcount.org.uk; NOAA per-capita consumption), world-average where the study allows; the million-people column is straight multiplication. 'for scale' divides by 0.8 t CO2e, the meat-free yardstick.

range

roughly ±50%: households, grids and countries differ widely

weakness

a world-average person. your number depends on where you live and how you already live; the country layer will narrow it. the ranking between actions is far more robust than any single figure.

dispute

dispute LGR-116 · corrections are credited

if you wasted no food one person, one year · world average · order of magnitude

method

per-person, per-year estimate from the cited study (UNEP Food Waste Index 2021; FAO 2013), world-average where the study allows; the million-people column is straight multiplication. 'for scale' divides by 0.8 t CO2e, the meat-free yardstick.

range

roughly ±50%: households, grids and countries differ widely

weakness

a world-average person. your number depends on where you live and how you already live; the country layer will narrow it. the ranking between actions is far more robust than any single figure.

dispute

dispute LGR-117 · corrections are credited

if you took one fewer long-haul flight a year one person, one year · world average · order of magnitude

method

per-person, per-year estimate from the cited study (Wynes & Nicholas 2017), world-average where the study allows; the million-people column is straight multiplication. 'for scale' divides by 0.8 t CO2e, the meat-free yardstick.

range

roughly ±50%: households, grids and countries differ widely

weakness

a world-average person. your number depends on where you live and how you already live; the country layer will narrow it. the ranking between actions is far more robust than any single figure.

dispute

dispute LGR-118 · corrections are credited

if you flew economy instead of business one person, one year · world average · order of magnitude

method

per-person, per-year estimate from the cited study (ICAO carbon calculator; DEFRA factors), world-average where the study allows; the million-people column is straight multiplication. 'for scale' divides by 0.8 t CO2e, the meat-free yardstick.

range

roughly ±50%: households, grids and countries differ widely

weakness

a world-average person. your number depends on where you live and how you already live; the country layer will narrow it. the ranking between actions is far more robust than any single figure.

dispute

dispute LGR-119 · corrections are credited

if you put solar on your roof one person, one year · world average · order of magnitude

method

per-person, per-year estimate from the cited study (NREL PVWatts; IEA grid factors; Fraunhofer ISE 2024), world-average where the study allows; the million-people column is straight multiplication. 'for scale' divides by 0.8 t CO2e, the meat-free yardstick.

range

roughly ±50%: households, grids and countries differ widely

weakness

a world-average person. your number depends on where you live and how you already live; the country layer will narrow it. the ranking between actions is far more robust than any single figure.

dispute

dispute LGR-120 · corrections are credited

if you lived without a car one person, one year · world average · order of magnitude

method

per-person, per-year estimate from the cited study (Wynes & Nicholas 2017), world-average where the study allows; the million-people column is straight multiplication. 'for scale' divides by 0.8 t CO2e, the meat-free yardstick.

range

roughly ±50%: households, grids and countries differ widely

weakness

a world-average person. your number depends on where you live and how you already live; the country layer will narrow it. the ranking between actions is far more robust than any single figure.

dispute

dispute LGR-121 · corrections are credited

if you drove ten kilometres less a week one person, one year · world average · order of magnitude

method

per-person, per-year estimate from the cited study (DEFRA factors), world-average where the study allows; the million-people column is straight multiplication. 'for scale' divides by 0.8 t CO2e, the meat-free yardstick.

range

roughly ±50%: households, grids and countries differ widely

weakness

a world-average person. your number depends on where you live and how you already live; the country layer will narrow it. the ranking between actions is far more robust than any single figure.

dispute

dispute LGR-122 · corrections are credited

if you switched to a real renewable electricity tariff one person, one year · world average · order of magnitude

method

per-person, per-year estimate from the cited study (Wynes & Nicholas 2017; UK BEIS), world-average where the study allows; the million-people column is straight multiplication. 'for scale' divides by 0.8 t CO2e, the meat-free yardstick.

range

roughly ±50%: households, grids and countries differ widely

weakness

a world-average person. your number depends on where you live and how you already live; the country layer will narrow it. the ranking between actions is far more robust than any single figure.

dispute

dispute LGR-123 · corrections are credited

if you insulated, or put in a heat pump one person, one year · world average · order of magnitude

method

per-person, per-year estimate from the cited study (IEA; UK Energy Saving Trust), world-average where the study allows; the million-people column is straight multiplication. 'for scale' divides by 0.8 t CO2e, the meat-free yardstick.

range

roughly ±50%: households, grids and countries differ widely

weakness

a world-average person. your number depends on where you live and how you already live; the country layer will narrow it. the ranking between actions is far more robust than any single figure.

dispute

dispute LGR-124 · corrections are credited

if you turned the thermostat down one degree one person, one year · world average · order of magnitude

method

per-person, per-year estimate from the cited study (UK Energy Saving Trust), world-average where the study allows; the million-people column is straight multiplication. 'for scale' divides by 0.8 t CO2e, the meat-free yardstick.

range

roughly ±50%: households, grids and countries differ widely

weakness

a world-average person. your number depends on where you live and how you already live; the country layer will narrow it. the ranking between actions is far more robust than any single figure.

dispute

dispute LGR-125 · corrections are credited

if you hung the washing instead of using a dryer one person, one year · world average · order of magnitude

method

per-person, per-year estimate from the cited study (US DOE; Energy Star), world-average where the study allows; the million-people column is straight multiplication. 'for scale' divides by 0.8 t CO2e, the meat-free yardstick.

range

roughly ±50%: households, grids and countries differ widely

weakness

a world-average person. your number depends on where you live and how you already live; the country layer will narrow it. the ranking between actions is far more robust than any single figure.

dispute

dispute LGR-126 · corrections are credited

if you washed clothes cold one person, one year · world average · order of magnitude

method

per-person, per-year estimate from the cited study (US DOE), world-average where the study allows; the million-people column is straight multiplication. 'for scale' divides by 0.8 t CO2e, the meat-free yardstick.

range

roughly ±50%: households, grids and countries differ widely

weakness

a world-average person. your number depends on where you live and how you already live; the country layer will narrow it. the ranking between actions is far more robust than any single figure.

dispute

dispute LGR-127 · corrections are credited

if you washed your hair one time fewer a week one person, one year · world average · order of magnitude

method

per-person, per-year estimate from the cited study (EPA WaterSense; DEFRA factors), world-average where the study allows; the million-people column is straight multiplication. 'for scale' divides by 0.8 t CO2e, the meat-free yardstick.

range

roughly ±50%: households, grids and countries differ widely

weakness

a world-average person. your number depends on where you live and how you already live; the country layer will narrow it. the ranking between actions is far more robust than any single figure.

dispute

dispute LGR-128 · corrections are credited

if you took showers a minute shorter one person, one year · world average · order of magnitude

method

per-person, per-year estimate from the cited study (EPA WaterSense), world-average where the study allows; the million-people column is straight multiplication. 'for scale' divides by 0.8 t CO2e, the meat-free yardstick.

range

roughly ±50%: households, grids and countries differ widely

weakness

a world-average person. your number depends on where you live and how you already live; the country layer will narrow it. the ranking between actions is far more robust than any single figure.

dispute

dispute LGR-129 · corrections are credited

if you turned the tap off while brushing one person, one year · world average · order of magnitude

method

per-person, per-year estimate from the cited study (EPA WaterSense), world-average where the study allows; the million-people column is straight multiplication. 'for scale' divides by 0.8 t CO2e, the meat-free yardstick.

range

roughly ±50%: households, grids and countries differ widely

weakness

a world-average person. your number depends on where you live and how you already live; the country layer will narrow it. the ranking between actions is far more robust than any single figure.

dispute

dispute LGR-130 · corrections are credited

if you shook your hands dry instead of a paper towel one person, one year · world average · order of magnitude

method

per-person, per-year estimate from the cited study (Gregory et al. 2011, MIT), world-average where the study allows; the million-people column is straight multiplication. 'for scale' divides by 0.8 t CO2e, the meat-free yardstick.

range

roughly ±50%: households, grids and countries differ widely

weakness

a world-average person. your number depends on where you live and how you already live; the country layer will narrow it. the ranking between actions is far more robust than any single figure.

dispute

dispute LGR-131 · corrections are credited

if you used a refillable bottle one person, one year · world average · order of magnitude

method

per-person, per-year estimate from the cited study (Franklin Associates; DEFRA), world-average where the study allows; the million-people column is straight multiplication. 'for scale' divides by 0.8 t CO2e, the meat-free yardstick.

range

roughly ±50%: households, grids and countries differ widely

weakness

a world-average person. your number depends on where you live and how you already live; the country layer will narrow it. the ranking between actions is far more robust than any single figure.

dispute

dispute LGR-132 · corrections are credited

if you kept your phone one more year one person, one year · world average · order of magnitude

method

per-person, per-year estimate from the cited study (Apple / Fairphone LCAs; USGS), world-average where the study allows; the million-people column is straight multiplication. 'for scale' divides by 0.8 t CO2e, the meat-free yardstick.

range

roughly ±50%: households, grids and countries differ widely

weakness

a world-average person. your number depends on where you live and how you already live; the country layer will narrow it. the ranking between actions is far more robust than any single figure.

dispute

dispute LGR-133 · corrections are credited

if you bought no new clothes for a year one person, one year · world average · order of magnitude

method

per-person, per-year estimate from the cited study (Quantis 2018; WRAP; WWF), world-average where the study allows; the million-people column is straight multiplication. 'for scale' divides by 0.8 t CO2e, the meat-free yardstick.

range

roughly ±50%: households, grids and countries differ widely

weakness

a world-average person. your number depends on where you live and how you already live; the country layer will narrow it. the ranking between actions is far more robust than any single figure.

dispute

dispute LGR-134 · corrections are credited

if you used a cotton tote instead of plastic bags one person, one year · world average · order of magnitude

method

per-person, per-year estimate from the cited study (Danish EPA 2018), world-average where the study allows; the million-people column is straight multiplication. 'for scale' divides by 0.8 t CO2e, the meat-free yardstick.

range

roughly ±50%: households, grids and countries differ widely

weakness

a world-average person. your number depends on where you live and how you already live; the country layer will narrow it. the ranking between actions is far more robust than any single figure.

dispute

dispute LGR-135 · corrections are credited

if you ran the dishwasher full instead of washing by hand one person, one year · world average · order of magnitude

method

per-person, per-year estimate from the cited study (Energy Star; Stamminger 2004), world-average where the study allows; the million-people column is straight multiplication. 'for scale' divides by 0.8 t CO2e, the meat-free yardstick.

range

roughly ±50%: households, grids and countries differ widely

weakness

a world-average person. your number depends on where you live and how you already live; the country layer will narrow it. the ranking between actions is far more robust than any single figure.

dispute

dispute LGR-136 · corrections are credited

if you recycled everything one person, one year · world average · order of magnitude

method

per-person, per-year estimate from the cited study (Wynes & Nicholas 2017), world-average where the study allows; the million-people column is straight multiplication. 'for scale' divides by 0.8 t CO2e, the meat-free yardstick.

range

roughly ±50%: households, grids and countries differ widely

weakness

a world-average person. your number depends on where you live and how you already live; the country layer will narrow it. the ranking between actions is far more robust than any single figure.

dispute

dispute LGR-137 · corrections are credited

if you ate local one person, one year · world average · order of magnitude

method

per-person, per-year estimate from the cited study (Poore & Nemecek 2018), world-average where the study allows; the million-people column is straight multiplication. 'for scale' divides by 0.8 t CO2e, the meat-free yardstick.

range

roughly ±50%: households, grids and countries differ widely

weakness

a world-average person. your number depends on where you live and how you already live; the country layer will narrow it. the ranking between actions is far more robust than any single figure.

dispute

dispute LGR-138 · corrections are credited

if you planted a tree one person, one year · world average · order of magnitude

method

per-person, per-year estimate from the cited study (US Forest Service; Bastin et al. 2019 (and its critics)), world-average where the study allows; the million-people column is straight multiplication. 'for scale' divides by 0.8 t CO2e, the meat-free yardstick.

range

roughly ±50%: households, grids and countries differ widely

weakness

a world-average person. your number depends on where you live and how you already live; the country layer will narrow it. the ranking between actions is far more robust than any single figure.

dispute

dispute LGR-139 · corrections are credited

if you composted one person, one year · world average · order of magnitude

method

per-person, per-year estimate from the cited study (US EPA WARM), world-average where the study allows; the million-people column is straight multiplication. 'for scale' divides by 0.8 t CO2e, the meat-free yardstick.

range

roughly ±50%: households, grids and countries differ widely

weakness

a world-average person. your number depends on where you live and how you already live; the country layer will narrow it. the ranking between actions is far more robust than any single figure.

dispute

dispute LGR-140 · corrections are credited

if you switched the bulbs to led one person, one year · world average · order of magnitude

method

per-person, per-year estimate from the cited study (US DOE), world-average where the study allows; the million-people column is straight multiplication. 'for scale' divides by 0.8 t CO2e, the meat-free yardstick.

range

roughly ±50%: households, grids and countries differ widely

weakness

a world-average person. your number depends on where you live and how you already live; the country layer will narrow it. the ranking between actions is far more robust than any single figure.

dispute

dispute LGR-141 · corrections are credited

if you kept your cat indoors one person, one year · world average · order of magnitude

method

per-person, per-year estimate from the cited study (Loss et al. 2013; Kays et al. 2020), world-average where the study allows; the million-people column is straight multiplication. 'for scale' divides by 0.8 t CO2e, the meat-free yardstick.

range

roughly ±50%: households, grids and countries differ widely

weakness

a world-average person. your number depends on where you live and how you already live; the country layer will narrow it. the ranking between actions is far more robust than any single figure.

dispute

dispute LGR-142 · corrections are credited

what one person can do, ranked tonnes of co2e a year, world average

method

per-person, per-year estimate from the cited study (Wynes & Nicholas 2017; Poore & Nemecek 2018; the sources on each screen), world-average where the study allows; the million-people column is straight multiplication. 'for scale' divides by 0.8 t CO2e, the meat-free yardstick.

range

roughly ±50%: households, grids and countries differ widely

weakness

a world-average person. your number depends on where you live and how you already live; the country layer will narrow it. the ranking between actions is far more robust than any single figure.

dispute

dispute LGR-143 · corrections are credited