The Economist – Welcome to the Anthropocene
Posted on: June 9th, 2011
As a longstanding reader of The Economist, for both its ability to inform and to be thought provoking – a recent Leader article took me rather by surprise…
The article, entitled ‘Welcome to the Anthropocene’ which starts: ‘Humans have changed the way the world works. Now they have to change the way they think about it too’ (28 May 2011) , was rather stronger on environmental challenges than I am accustomed to seeing in that publication. Indeed it’s tone appeared to be rather closer to that of the Ecologist – or perhaps a scientific journal.
In it, the author discusses how humans have become a force of nature and calls for fresh thinking about our impact on the planet. It charts a shift out of the ‘Holocene era’ into uncharted territory, termed by some, ‘the Anthropocene’ – where mankind has become a major force of nature and driver of planetary change.
As the author observes – what to do next may well be open to debate, but the analysis was none the less interesting, particularly given its source. For anyone wondering whether or not environmental, social or sustainability issues are really relevant to business I would recommend a quick ready – the link below will take you straight to the Leader article, related briefings and correspondence: