Podcast: The Age Of The Human | What Is The Anthropocene?

Did you know we produce enough concrete to cover the entire earth 2mm deep? Or that we produce enough plastic to cling film the entire world?

These astonishing facts have concerned many scientists around the world. The idea that our impact on the planet has been so significant has given rise to a new term, the Anthropocene.

It all revolves around one simple question, have human beings permanently changed the planet?

It’s sparked fierce debate between anthropologists and environmentalists all over the world due to the fact that some geologists think we’re still in the Holocene our most recent era dating back almost 12,000 years, but because of our ability to cause widespread severe extinction, this epoch has been called into question.

What defines humans as agents of change? Are we facing extinction ourselves? Have we solely created this catastrophic environmental crisis?

We speak to Professor Simon L. Lewis, co-author of the book The Human Planet: How We Created the Anthropocene to walk us through where this is all leading us and how we can help.

Image: Daniel Arsham