Technomass

Technomass is dominated by construction materials in structures (e.g. buildings) and infrastructure (e.g. pavements). Its main contributions are

• concrete: ~50%
• construction aggregates (crushed stone, gravel, sand): ~30%
• bricks: ~8%
• asphalt: ~5%
• metal structures: ~3%
• glass: a few %

In addition, manufactured plastics contribute to about 1%.{{Cite journal |last1=Geyer |first1=Roland |last2=Jambeck |first2=Jenna R. |last3=Law |first3=Kara Lavender |date=2017-07-07 |title=Production, use, and fate of all plastics ever made |journal=Science Advances |language=en |volume=3 |issue=7 |pages=e1700782 |doi=10.1126/sciadv.1700782 |issn=2375-2548 |pmc=5517107 |pmid=28776036|bibcode=2017SciA....3E0782G }} Their production{{Cite journal |last1=Ritchie |first1=Hannah |last2=Samborska |first2=Veronika |last3=Roser |first3=Max |date=2023-12-28 |title=Plastic Pollution |url=https://ourworldindata.org/plastic-pollution |journal=Our World in Data |language=en}} keeps increasing exponentially. Today, humans use about 100 times their own mass in plastic.

Maps of technomass can now be created using satellite-based observations of the Earth.{{Cite journal |last1=Wiedenhofer |first1=Dominik |last2=Schug |first2=Franz |last3=Gauch |first3=Hannes |last4=Lanau |first4=Maud |last5=Drewniok |first5=Michal P. |last6=Baumgart |first6=André |last7=Virág |first7=Doris |last8=Watt |first8=Harry |last9=Serrenho |first9=André Cabrera |last10=Tingley |first10=Danielle Densley |last11=Haberl |first11=Helmut |last12=Frantz |first12=David |date=2024-07-01 |title=Mapping material stocks of buildings and mobility infrastructure in the United Kingdom and the Republic of Ireland |url=https://linkinghub.elsevier.com/retrieve/pii/S0921344924002246 |journal=Resources, Conservation and Recycling |volume=206 |pages=107630 |doi=10.1016/j.resconrec.2024.107630 |bibcode=2024RCR...20607630W |issn=0921-3449|doi-access=free }}

File:Inventory of biomass and technomass.png

File:Global_plastics_production.png

The concept of technomass is important in discussions about human impact on the environment, resource consumption, and the Anthropocene—the proposed geological epoch defined by significant human influence on Earth's geology and ecosystems. It was estimated that, in 2020, the total technomass was around 1.1 teratons (1,100 gigatons), most of which created over the past century. In comparison, the 1.1 teratons of biomass emerged over several billion years.

Since the beginning of the 20th century, technomass has doubled roughly every 20 years. It is a key indicator of human influence on the planet and its measurement helps track resource use and environmental impact. Today, the transformation of the Earth's land surface by mineral extraction and construction is on a scale greater than natural erosive terrestrial geological processes. Humans have become the most significant global geomorphological driving force.{{Cite journal |last1=Cooper |first1=Anthony H |last2=Brown |first2=Teresa J |last3=Price |first3=Simon J |last4=Ford |first4=Jonathan R |last5=Waters |first5=Colin N |date=December 2018 |title=Humans are the most significant global geomorphological driving force of the 21st century |url=https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/2053019618800234 |journal=The Anthropocene Review |language=en |volume=5 |issue=3 |pages=222–229 |doi=10.1177/2053019618800234 |bibcode=2018AntRv...5..222C |issn=2053-0196}} Each week, they produce an amount of technomass that is comparable to that of their own mass.

• Anthropocene
• Technofossil

{{reflist}}

{{Wiktionary|biomass}}

• [https://biocubes.net Biocubes: a visualization of biomass and technomass]

Category:Anthropocene