The Human Reach / ESRI — Environmental Systems Research Institute (US)

The Human Reach

ESRI — Environmental Systems Research Institute (US)

The StoryMap illustrates the reach of the influence of all mankind on this earth.

Presently, about 7.8 billion people live on Earth, and according to predictions by the UN, the world’s population will grow to 10.9 billion by the year 2100. Other researchers predict a decrease by that time because they assume that birth rates will decline. But one thing they all agree on is that the world’s population is currently still growing. So the impact we humans have on this planet’s environment is also a mathematical problem. If you start up your car once a day, for example, it will not make much difference. But if several billion people start up their cars every day, it’s a very different matter. The worldwide transition to an environmentally friendly lifestyle is therefore essential—and the energy turnaround is a big part of this puzzle. The StoryMap illustrates the reach of the influence of all mankind on this earth.

Credit:
The “Living in the Age of Humans” series is produced by Esri’s StoryMaps team.
Cartography: David Asbury, Cooper Thomas; Research and writing: Allen Carroll, Hannah Wilber; Animations: Greyson Harris; Road density statistics: Knoema World Data Atlas; Airline passenger data: World Bank, IATA; Climate impact of aviation: The New York Times; Submarine cables: Greg’s Cable Map; Greenhouse gas emissions from shipping: International Council on Clean Shipping; Mapping the human footprint: Bioscience