What always strikes me as I watch this is how extensive humanity’s mark on the planet is. That’s like changing an area of land twice the size of Germany every year since 1960, the researchers estimate. Forested areas have shrunk by 0.8m square kilometres, while cropland has expanded by 1m square kilometres and pastures have expanded by 0.9m square kilometres respectively. By the 1990s, globalisation was changing the landscape again as the wealthy Global North effectively offshored their land requirements. This fascinating global snapshot of land use serves an important purpose.

Source: Stuff May 16, 2021 16:56 UTC