This tour of our glowing transportation and communication networks shows the majesty–and horror–of how mankind has altered the planet.
According to scientists, we’re currently in the geological epoch known as the Holocene, which has lasted for the last 12,000 years. The Holocene encompasses the rise of humanity since the last ice age. But some scientists think we have actually entered a new era, called the Anthropocene–an era in which the world no longer shapes humanity, but in which humanity shapes the world to its own purpose and does so to such an extent that it will have permanent effects of the geological record of our planet.
As scientists debate the merits of declaring we are in a new epoch (these things take time and lots of arguing), humanity plods on, continuing to make a massive impact on the planet. Globaia, an organization devoted to promoting an understanding of “big history,” has been working on mapping these impacts. We’ve already featured some of their stunning maps, but now they’ve stitched those together into the beautiful video you see above.
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