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Build-up · 5 cards
How much does everything people made weigh?
From the whole planet to two countries: five scales of one mass — buildings, roads and things.
The cards, in order
- Everything humans have built and made weighs 27 times as much as in 1900
A century’s scale: 27 times the 1900 mass.
- Concrete and gravel make up 79% of the mass of everything humans have made
What it is made of: mostly concrete and gravel.
- Do human-made things already outweigh all life on Earth, or will they by 2037?
Next to all living things — and why the answer depends on water.
- Since 2021 China's cement output fell 29%, India's rose 34%
Who makes cement for concrete now: China cuts, India grows.
- China made 52% of the world's steel in 2025, and 10% less than in 2020
The same shift with steel.
The human-made is catching up with the living
From 1900 to 2015 the mass of buildings, roads and things grew 27 times, and 79% of it is concrete and gravel. It caught up with living things without water around 2020, and will with water around 2037: these are one study’s calculations. China makes 45% of the world’s cement, but has cut output by 29% since 2021, while India has raised it by 34%.
Human-made mass versus 1900
27
Concrete and gravel share
79%
Catches up with life including water
2037
China’s share of world cement
45%