An international team led by University of Leicester geologists has made the first estimate of the sheer size of the physical structure of the planet’s technosphere – suggesting that its mass approximates to an enormous 30 trillion tonnes.
The technosphere is comprised of all structures that humans have constructed to keep them alive on the planet — from houses, factories and farms to computer systems, smartphones and CDs, to the waste in landfills and spoil heaps.
In a new paper published in the journal The Anthropocene Review, the team suggests that it represents a mass of more than 50 kilos for every square metre of Earth’s surface.