About...

Why this website was created

As far as I can remember, something is bothering me. This something slightly vague ended up taking shape precisely thanks to a concept holding in a somewhat barbaric word: “Anthropocene”.

What the Anthropocene says is pretty clear: wherever you are on this planet, you cannot escape human influence. This influence is sometimes obvious (in town, in an agricultural field, etc.), sometimes more insidious and, so to speak, imperceptible (via the CO2 content of the atmosphere, the presence of various chemical compounds, etc.).

More than a geological concept, the Anthropocene is above all our collective recognition of the huge impact we have on the Earth's surface. This might seem trivial. After all, just take a look around and you will see our extraordinary power of transformation. It is, however, a revolution! While for a long time humans saw the surface of the Earth as an unshakable and infinite space, now we perceive it as flexible, fragile and limited.

Let's calm down: the recognition of the Anthropocene is slow, diffuse and still very partial. For the moment, the so-called "awareness" of our impact on the planet does not induce any reorientation of our activity. A reorientation that would be essential to aim for a more desirable horizon. Because what the Anthropocene does not say is that our power of transformation works in the direction of a terrible alteration of life and its substrate.

In order to induce a profound reorientation of our activity on this planet, it seems to me essential to broaden and accelerate the awareness of the Anthropocene and of its destructive character. May this website make a tiny contribution to this gigantic issue.

About me

Born in 1986 in France, I have a PhD in plant biology and I am for a long time been interested in issues related to climate change or biodiversity.

However, I am neither a specialist nor an expert of the Anthropocene. By the way, if you come across one, beware! Because the Anthropocene is not a specialty; it is our world and our time.

We are all, in some way, enlightened experimenters of the Anthropocene. Like you, it is the space that I inhabit and the time that I live.

Through this website, I want to share my long-standing thoughts about the Anthropocene and raise awareness of this crucial point: the collective recognition of what the Anthropocene really is can be the starting point of a deep change in the way we conceive and therefore inhabit the world.

Henri CUNY