A couple of quick observations. The "dry weight" comparison of anthropogenic mass is apt (since the manufactured materials are all effectively "dry" as well) but probably not immediately intuitive. If an average human is 70kg (154lb) then 23% of this or 16kg is carbon, and their methodology would multiply this by 2.25 to get 36kg (79lb). Much of the oxygen and hydrogen in the body (50kg) is tied up in the water, which is not being counted.
The 1800s is probably the right date for "drilled" hydrocarbons as part of the industrial revolution (first gas well 1821, first oil well mid-1800s) but surface deposits were used as far back as Mesopotamia (before 2000BCE), natural gas from shallow wells was used in China by 500BCE, and coal was important in Roman times. So one can think of this as a co-evolution: increasing access to resources through technology accelerated human usage, while the effects increased human population, which then stimulated further demand.
dry weight - omg they desiccated us! agreed, apt but not intuitive. and not ideal, since one could then accuse the illustrators of underrepresenting biomass's presence
ff - I suppose I meant to write about the start of this one big carbon pulse - but that's interesting about the earlier access. I hadn't looked into that much!
actually I was thinking this: https://imgur.com/a/Mil7D1O - It's the extinction symbol within a hurricane symbol, inspired by Michael Dowd's final talk (he was best known for "Post-Doom" philosophy and died unexpectedly in 2023)
A couple of quick observations. The "dry weight" comparison of anthropogenic mass is apt (since the manufactured materials are all effectively "dry" as well) but probably not immediately intuitive. If an average human is 70kg (154lb) then 23% of this or 16kg is carbon, and their methodology would multiply this by 2.25 to get 36kg (79lb). Much of the oxygen and hydrogen in the body (50kg) is tied up in the water, which is not being counted.
https://www.thoughtco.com/elemental-composition-human-body-by-mass-608192
The 1800s is probably the right date for "drilled" hydrocarbons as part of the industrial revolution (first gas well 1821, first oil well mid-1800s) but surface deposits were used as far back as Mesopotamia (before 2000BCE), natural gas from shallow wells was used in China by 500BCE, and coal was important in Roman times. So one can think of this as a co-evolution: increasing access to resources through technology accelerated human usage, while the effects increased human population, which then stimulated further demand.
https://www.sciencing.com/sources-energy-1800s-8126819/
https://oilprice.com/Energy/Energy-General/The-Complete-History-Of-Fossil-Fuels.html
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_the_petroleum_industry
well, well! hello!
dry weight - omg they desiccated us! agreed, apt but not intuitive. and not ideal, since one could then accuse the illustrators of underrepresenting biomass's presence
ff - I suppose I meant to write about the start of this one big carbon pulse - but that's interesting about the earlier access. I hadn't looked into that much!
So the logo….is this your suggestion for the eco v stick-and-poke tattoo? 😂
actually I was thinking this: https://imgur.com/a/Mil7D1O - It's the extinction symbol within a hurricane symbol, inspired by Michael Dowd's final talk (he was best known for "Post-Doom" philosophy and died unexpectedly in 2023)