How much of the terrestrial lands have been modified by human beings?
A recent study published on Global Change Biology revealed a far lower estimate of 5% than the previous 19%.
Thirteen human factors in 6 categories are considered in calculation.
- human settlement (population density and built‐up areas)
- agriculture (cropland and livestock)
- transportation (major roads, minor roads, two tracks, and railroads)
- mining
- energy production (oil wells and wind turbines)
- electrical infrastructure (powerlines and nighttime lights)
Meanwhile, nearly 50% of the lands are considered with low human modification.
So there is a contrast of how little of the land (5%) we haven’t touched and how much of the land we haven barely explored (44%)