The mental math references for Environmental are below. At the bottom of the page you’ll find a list of sources for each figure, with the precise data point from that source.
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General stats
World’s tallest tree
World’s longest river
World’s largest lake
Area of Antarctica
Area of Arctic ice in summer
Global fish catch
Global sea level rise per year
Global average temperature rise since 1880
Global petroleum reserves
Global natural gas reserves
Global coal reserves
Atmospheric CO2 concentration
Ozone layer thickness
Global wind speed average
Global ocean salinity
Global renewable energy investment
Cost of carbon offset
Average air quality index in U.S.
Average air quality index in China
Natural disasters annually
Global annual rainfall
Desert area globally
Coral reefs globally
Global wetlands area
400 feet
4,000 miles
140,000 square miles
5 million square miles
2 million square miles
100 million tons/year
0.1 inches
1° Celsius
350 million barrels
20 trillion cubic meters
200 billion tons
400 parts per million
300 Dobson units
10 miles per hour
35 parts per trillion
$350 billion/year
$60 per metric ton
40
50
7,000
40 inches
20 million square miles
100,000 square miles
7 million square kilometers
Emissions
Global CO2 emissions
U.S. CO2 emissions
EU CO2 emissions
China CO2 emissions
40 gigatons/year
5 gigatons/year
3 gigatons/year
10 gigatons/year
Deforestation
Global deforestation
Amazon deforestation
25 million acres/year
3 million acres/year
Water usage
Global fresh water usage
Average U.S. water usag
4,000 cubic kilometers per year
100 gallons per person per day
Energy capacity
Global wind energy capacity
Global solar energy capacity
Global hydro energy capacity
Global nuclear energy capacity
Global geothermal energy capacity
900 gigawatts
1,000 gigawatts
1,500 gigawatts
400 gigawatts
15 gigawatts
Pollution & waste
Ocean plastic pollution
Global waste generation
U.S. waste generation
10 million tons/year
2 billion tons/year
300 million tons/year
Note: All dollar figures are in USD.
Sources:
General stats
World’s tallest tree: 380.3 feet — Wikipedia
World’s longest river: 4,160 miles — Guinness World Records
World’s largest lake: 143,244 square miles — AmericanOceans.org
Area of Antarctica: 5.5 million square miles — Wikipedia
Area of Arctic ice in summer:1.8 million square miles — NASA
Global fish catch: 106 million tons/year — Our World In Data
Global sea level rise per year: .13 inches — NASA
Global average temperature rise since 1880: 1° Celsius— Wisconsin.gov
Global petroleum reserves: 350.3 million barrels — Department of Energy
Global natural gas reserves: 17 trillion cubic meters — EIA
Global coal reserves: 227.7 billion tons — EIA
Atmospheric CO2 concentration: 421 parts per million — NOAA
Ozone layer thickness: 300 Dobson units — NASA
Global wind speed average: 7-7.4 mph — Scientific American
Global ocean salinity: 35 parts per trillion — NOAA
Global renewable energy investment: $358 billion/year — BNEF
Cost of carbon offset: $40-$80/metric ton — 8 Billion Trees
Average air quality index in U.S.: 39.9 — USAfacts.org
Average air quality index in China: 53 — AQI
Natural disasters annually: 6,800 — TheZebra.com
Global annual rainfall: 39 inches — Britannica
Desert area globally: 18.9 million square miles — University of Texas
Coral reefs globally: 110,000 square miles — EarthDay
Global wetlands area: 6.38 million square kilometers — FHWA
Emissions
Global CO2 emissions: 36.8 gigatons/year — IEA
U.S. CO2 emissions: 6.3 gigatons/year — EPA
EU CO2 emissions: 2.73 gigatons/year — Statista
China CO2 emissions: 10.4 gigatons/year — Worldometers
Deforestation
Global deforestation: 24.7 million acres/year — Our World In Data
Amazon deforestation: 3.2 million acres/year — Statista
Water usage
Global fresh water usage: 4,000 cubic kilometers per year — Parks and Rec Business
Average U.S. water usage: 82 gallons/person per day — EPA
Energy capacity
Global wind energy capacity: 906 gigawatts — GWEC
Global solar energy capacity: 1,185 gigawatts — Wikipedia
Global hydro energy capacity: 1,360 gigawatts — Hydropower.org
Global nuclear energy capacity: 413 gigawatts — IEA
Global geothermal energy capacity: 16.1 gigawatts — Think GeoEnergy
Pollution & waste
Ocean plastic pollution: 12 million tons/year — Eunomia
Global waste generation: billion tons/year — Statista
U.S. waste generation: 300 million tons/year — EPA
