Although alternative terms have been suggested, the Anthropocene captures the magnitude of the crisis we face.
‘Ice Watch,’ an installation by Icelandic-Danish artist Olafur Eliasson, put 12 blocks of ice harvested from a fjord in a clock formation in a public place in London, in December 2018.
(Sarflondondunc/Flickr)
From installations of ice to projected art generated from air quality readings, artists and designers offer powerful experiences where people become witnesses to what’s happening and what’s possible.
A study published in the journal Nature reveals that global mass of goods produced by humankind now exceeds that of all life on earth. This is a stark warning on our growing domination of the planet.
If all of humanity was wiped out tomorrow, it’s estimated that the natural world would take at least five million years to recover from the damage humans have done to the world.
Almost a century ago, New Zealand and Australia were at the forefront of an environmental crisis that forewarned of humanity’s global impact – erosion. It left its mark on culture.
‘Antarctic cities’ residents care deeply about the continent, with environmental concerns outweighing economic priorities. Asked about its future, they feel a mix of hope, pessimism and sadness.
It marked the point when humans began to exert a geologically-huge influence on the environment.
The pangolin, one of the most poached animals in the world, could have served as an intermediate host in the transmission of SARS-CoV-2 to humans.
Wahyudi/AFP
The hope is that the biodiversity targets translate directly into what individual countries, cities, companies and even families can adopt as tangible actions.
Though its use has grown in the last decade, the Anthropocene concept has been around since the 19th century.
John Cobb/Shutterstock
The term Anthropocene - previously known only to geologists and academics - has hit the mainstream. Now it’s being tweeted as shorthand for the negative effects humans have had on the planet.