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Start with these files — they give you everything you need to understand and access the dataset.
- 1. Fetch datapackage.json to inspect schema and resources
- 2. Download data resources listed in datapackage.json
- 3. Read README.md for full context
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socioeconomic
Schema
| name | type | description |
|---|---|---|
| year | integer | Year of observation |
| indicator_id | string | Machine-readable indicator identifier (e.g. 'population', 'real-gdp') |
| indicator | string | Human-readable indicator name |
| unit | string | Unit of measurement for the value columns |
| world | number | Global total value. Always present when data exists for a given year. |
| oecd | number | Value for OECD member countries (as of 2010, membership carried back in time). Null if regional split not available. |
| brics | number | Value for BRICS countries (Brazil, Russia, India, China, South Africa). Null if regional split not available. |
| rest | number | Value for all other countries (World minus OECD minus BRICS). Null if regional split not available. |
earth-system
Schema
| name | type | description |
|---|---|---|
| year | integer | Year of observation |
| indicator_id | string | Machine-readable indicator identifier (e.g. 'co2', 'temperature') |
| indicator | string | Human-readable indicator name |
| unit | string | Unit of measurement |
| value | number | Observed value in the specified unit |
Data Files
| File | Description | Size | Last modified | Download |
|---|---|---|---|---|
socioeconomic | 12 socioeconomic indicators tracking human activity since 1750. Where available, data are split by OECD countries, BRICS countries (Brazil, Russia, India, China, South Africa), and the rest of the world. Indicators cover population, economic activity, energy, water, agriculture, trade, and communications. | 113 kB | about 2 months ago | socioeconomic |
earth-system | 12 Earth system indicators tracking planetary response to human activity since 1750. Covers atmospheric composition, climate, ocean chemistry, and biosphere state. No regional splits — all values are global. | 106 kB | about 2 months ago | earth-system |
| Files | Size | Format | Created | Updated | License | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2 | 219 kB | csv | about 2 months ago | Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International | The Trajectory of the Anthropocene: The Great Acceleration, The Anthropocene Review, 2015 |
The Great Acceleration: Trajectory of the Anthropocene
24 indicators of the Great Acceleration — the dramatic, post-1950 surge in human activity and its simultaneous impact on Earth's systems. Data compiled by the International Geosphere-Biosphere Programme (IGBP) and Stockholm Resilience Centre.
Paper
Steffen, W., Broadgate, W., Deutsch, L., Gaffney, O., & Ludwig, C. (2015). The trajectory of the Anthropocene: the Great Acceleration. The Anthropocene Review, 2(1), 81–98. DOI: 10.1177/2053019614564785
Data
| File | Description | Rows |
|---|---|---|
data/socioeconomic.csv | 12 socioeconomic indicators | ~1,141 |
data/earth-system.csv | 12 Earth system indicators | ~1,834 |
Socioeconomic Indicators
| ID | Indicator | Unit |
|---|---|---|
population | Population | billion |
real-gdp | Real GDP | trillion USD (2005) |
fdi | Foreign Direct Investment | trillion USD (current) |
urban-population | Urban Population | billion |
primary-energy | Primary Energy Use | exajoule (EJ) |
fertilizer | Fertilizer Consumption | million tonnes |
large-dams | Large Dams | thousand dams (cumulative) |
water-use | Water Use | thousand km³ |
paper-production | Paper Production | million tonnes |
transportation | Transportation (Motor Vehicles) | million vehicles |
telecommunications | Telecommunications | billion subscriptions |
international-tourism | International Tourism | million arrivals |
Most socioeconomic indicators include regional breakdowns: OECD, BRICS (Brazil, Russia, India, China, South Africa), and Rest of World.
Earth System Indicators
| ID | Indicator | Unit |
|---|---|---|
co2 | Carbon Dioxide | ppm |
n2o | Nitrous Oxide | ppb |
ch4 | Methane | ppb |
ozone | Stratospheric Ozone | % loss |
temperature | Surface Temperature Anomaly | °C (vs. 1961–1990) |
ocean-acidification | Ocean Acidification | nmol/kg (H⁺) |
marine-fish | Marine Fish Capture | million tonnes |
shrimp-aquaculture | Shrimp Aquaculture | million tonnes |
nitrogen | Nitrogen to Coastal Zone | million tonnes/year |
tropical-forest | Tropical Forest Loss | % |
domesticated-land | Domesticated Land | % of total land area |
terrestrial-biosphere | Terrestrial Biosphere Degradation | % decrease in mean species abundance |
Source Data
Raw Excel file from IGBP: great-acceleration-data.xlsx
Run python3 process.py to regenerate CSVs from the Excel source.
License
Data published under CC BY 4.0. Cite the original paper when using this dataset.