STATISTICS ABOUT OUR WORLD

MIND BOGGLING STATS ABOUT THE CLIMATE, CONSUMPTION AND THE CURRENT SOCIAL LANDSCAPE

ENVIRONMENT & CLIMATE

1.7 planets

Humanity currently uses the equivalent of 1.7 planets to provide the resources necessary to provide goods and absorb waste.

Source: Global Footprint Network

2.3 tons

Is what the average footprint should be per person in CO2e by 2030, to stay aligned with the climate goals of keeping global warming to 1.5°C. Americans have an average footprint of 16 tons and Malawians 0.1 tons. TL;DR: We're not all equally liable for the climate crisis.

Source: Oxfam and Our World in Data

8 million

tons of plastic waste ends up in the ocean each year.

Source: Foundation Ellen MacArthur

51 billion

tons of greenhouse gases are added to the atmosphere every year. We must aim to 0 to stop the warming and avoid the worst effects of climate change.

Source: How to Avoid a Climate Disaster, Bill Gates

1 Everest/year

This is the ice quantity that Antarctica loses every year.

Source: NASA (see also WoS and Answers)

20%

of carbon dioxide emitted today will still be there in 10,000 years

Source: How to Avoid a Climate Disaster, Bill Gates

69%

The average size of vertebrate populations (mammals, fish, birds, amphibians, and reptiles) declined by 69 percent between 1970 and 2018.

Source: Living Planet Report 2022, WWF

CONSUMPTION

2 billion

There are now 1.4 billion motor vehicles, 2 billion personal computers and more mobile phones than people on earth.

Source: How to Save Our Planet, Mark Maslin

74 billion

chickens are currently raised and slaughtered, each year.

Source: Yearly Number of Animals Slaughtered for Meat, Our World in Data

230x

In the last 70 years, plastic production has been multiplied by 230. The problem? Only 9% of plastic waste gets recycled.

Source: Plastic Pollution, Our World in Data

£370,000,000

Discarded or hoarded household electricals cost the UK economy £370 million per year of lost valuable raw materials such as gold, copper, aluminium and steel.

Source: recycleyourelectricals.org.uk

30%

of the world's food is wasted. That's about 1.3 billion tons per year.

Source: UN

96%

of the mass of all animals on earth is those we raise to eat.

Source: A Life on Our Planet, David Attenborough

2,700

The amount of litres necessary to make a cotton t-shirt.

Source: Clothed in Conservation: Fashion & Water, Florida State University

15 billion

trees are cut down every year. The top driver for deforestation is beef production.

Source: Deforestation and Forest Loss, Our World in Data

42%

of companies exaggerate their sustainability claims.

Source: European Commission

527kg

This is the amount of waste produced every year per person in the EU.

Source: Eurostat

SOCIAL

1% - 50%

In 2017, the world's richest 1% of adults owned 50.1% of global wealth.

Source: Credit Suisse, 2017

16

Globally, women earn on average 16% less than men.

Source: UN Women

27.6 million

Forced labour affects at least 27.6 million people worldwide

Source: What is Forced Labour?

POSITIVE CLIMATE NEWS

8+ billion

This is the total population size. If we unite 8 billion individuals, we can change the world.

Source: Worldometer

7/10

7 people out of 10 are more aware now than before COVID-19 that human activity threatens the climate and that degradation of the environment, in turn, threatens humans.

Source: Boston Consulting Group

60

trees are planted every second.

Source: GoTreeQuotes

21 million

Since 2010, over 21 million square km has been placed within protected and conserved areas. 42% of the area now within protected and conserved areas has been added in the last decade.

Source: Protected Planet Report, 2020

12%

Wind and solar reach a record 12% of global electricity in 2022.

Source: Global Electricity Review 2023, Ember