tons

Several hundred million tons of plastics are produced each year globally, and an estimated 79% of this material ends up in landfills or "becomes fugitive in the environment," the researchers wrote in their report.

"Soon afterwards the thieves crawled back along the 40ft tunnel. They escaped through a back window leaving eight tons of rubble from the tunnel behind."

The disaster spewed about 100,000 tons of methane and other chemicals into the air, forcing more than 8,000 families to flee their homes, with many reporting headaches, nosebleeds and nausea.

The researchers believe that if it’s done the right way, wood vaulting could keep as much as 10 billion tons of carbon out of the air every year.

It’s 10 tons at least, far longer than it is tall, its seemingly endless neck and tail held parallel to the ground in surprisingly delicate balance.