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Description

Self-explanatory, really. A little graph showing (estimates of) the growth of human population, energy use, and economic activity, as well at the scale of the largest settlements and polities, over the last 30,000 years of history. The horizontal scale depicts time, numbered in years (from -28,000 to +2020) changing scale (which is expanded tenfold) at 3000 BCE. The vertical scale is logarithmic , such that each tenfold increase of a certain quantity is shown as the same vertical distance. The vertical scale has no units, since each measure of humankind's scale is different; instead, it simply represents increases in amount from a baseline.

Main references:

– Global population: HYDE 3.1 database (2010)
– Global GDP estimates: J. Bradford DeLong (1998), Estimating World GDP, One Million B.C. - Present (U.C. Berkeley)
– Per capita GDP: calculated from global population & GDP estimates
– Max city population: Ian Morris, Why the West Rules - For Now (2011), Appendix
– Max state area (up to 1975): Rein Taagepera (1978), "Size and Duration of Empires: Systematics of Size", Social Science Research
– Per capita energy consumption: David Christian (2004), Maps of Time (ch. 6)
– Global energy consumption (before 1800): calculated from global population and per capita energy consumption
– Global energy consumption (1800-2000): Vaclav Smil (2010), Energy Transitions: History, Requirements, Prospects (p. 155)

Measurements before a few centuries in the past are of course highly speculative.

Description

Self-explanatory, really. A little graph showing (estimates of) the growth of human population, energy use, and economic activity, as well at the scale of the largest settlements and polities, over the last 30,000 years of history. The horizontal scale depicts time, numbered in years (from -28,000 to +2020) changing scale (which is expanded tenfold) at 3000 BCE. The vertical scale is logarithmic , such that each tenfold increase of a certain quantity is shown as the same vertical distance. The vertical scale has no units, since each measure of humankind's scale is different; instead, it simply represents increases in amount from a baseline.

Main references:

– Global population: HYDE 3.1 database (2010)
– Global GDP estimates: J. Bradford DeLong (1998), Estimating World GDP, One Million B.C. - Present (U.C. Berkeley)
– Per capita GDP: calculated from global population & GDP estimates
– Max city population: Ian Morris, Why the West Rules - For Now (2011), Appendix
– Max state area (up to 1975): Rein Taagepera (1978), "Size and Duration of Empires: Systematics of Size", Social Science Research
– Per capita energy consumption: David Christian (2004), Maps of Time (ch. 6)
– Global energy consumption (before 1800): calculated from global population and per capita energy consumption
– Global energy consumption (1800-2000): Vaclav Smil (2010), Energy Transitions: History, Requirements, Prospects (p. 155)

Measurements before a few centuries in the past are of course highly speculative.