Member-only story
Debunking Death — Will The World Run Out Of Space To Bury The Dead?
Cemeteries are everywhere.
They are scattered across country and cityscapes from one town to the next all around the world.
Will the finite amount of real estate we have on earth be filled with caskets and monuments as the world grows ever more populated?
We go to the cemetery for many reasons: to bury our dead, to mourn, to grieve, to spend time remembering those that were lost. These visits serve many essential purposes for the human condition, but how much space are we giving up for that opportunity? Do cemeteries take up that much space? Will we eventually run out of space to bury people?
Let’s start by breaking down the question. According to the population clock at census.gov, the world population currently stands at roughly 7,594,275,500 people as of August 2019 and growing.
To calculate the amount of space needed to bury everyone in the world, we need to establish the required area for one single depth burial plot. — While more space-efficient options do exist, this is an excellent place to start. — Let’s assume that each person’s burial plot would adhere to the current traditional western burial standards for this scenario. With this assumption, we can determine that each person would need a plot of land with a surface…
