This part aims to help people understand the Anthropocene through commented graphs presenting highlights and key figures. Three aspects are studied.
Human expansionism first, with graphs presenting long time series of different indicators such as the number of inhabitants, energy consumption, production and consumption of material goods, life expectancy, level of education or waste production. Broadly speaking, the Anthropocene is a story of an incredible rise in most indicators of human systems.
Climate change then, with graphs presenting long time series of indicators such as concentration of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere, Earth surface temperature or sea level. As with indicators of human systems, the Anthropocene is often the story of an incredible rise in most indicators of physical systems.
The sixth mass extinction finally, with graphs presenting long time series of indicators such as the rate of extinction of species or the size of animal populations. These indicators show that for "non-human" living beings, the Anthropocene is generally the story of a vertiginous fall.
Most of the graphs presented in the three parts listed above can be generated interactively via an "Anthropocene Explorer". This interactive tool can be used to visualize long series of different indicators, with the option of changing the time period or geographical area to be displayed.
Commented graphs to reveal highlights of the Anthropocene
Anthropocene graphs
