If you're in a major city nearly anywhere in the world, it is likely quite easy to grab a cheap hamburger from a nearby fast-food restaurant. But what you may not realize is that the meat in that inexpensive burger can actually illustrate a grand narrative about how humans have shaped the planet. Fr
Caltech researchers have developed the Human Impacts Database. It contains global data on how humans have impacted the planet. Credit: Caltech
An infographic illustrating various numerical values relevant to the human impacts on the environment. Click the magnifying glass icon in the lower right to zoom. Credit: G. Chure “For example, a friend texted me asking how to compare the impact of dairy cattle versus beef cattle,” Chure says. “We can use our database to figure out that, in terms of land requirement, greenhouse gas emissions, and water use, beef cattle are more impactful by a factor of five or more on a per-calorie basis. We really hope that this database is useful for both ordinary citizens trying to make decisions and for people thinking about policy.
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