this is the story of how one species changed a planet the latest chapter of our story begins in England 250 years ago fueled by coal then oil several brilliant inventions appeared they ignited the Industrial Revolution which spread like wildfire through Europe North America Japan then elsewhere the great Railways then cars and highways connected people across the globe medical discoveries saved millions of lives new artificial fertilizers meant we could feed more people population Rose rapidly but this was nothing compared with what was to come the 1950s marked the beginning of the great acceleration globalization marketing tourism
and huge Investments helped fuel enormous growth people swarm to cities which became even more powerful engines of creativity in a single lifetime the well-being of millions has improved beyond measure health wealth security longevity never have so many had so much yet 1 billion are malnourished in a single lifetime we have grown into a phenomenal Global Force we move more sediment and rock annually than all natural processes such as erosion and rivers we manage 3/4 of all land outside the ice sheets greenhouse gas levels this High have not been seen for over 1 million years temperatures
are increasing we have made a hole in the ozone lay we are losing biodiversity many of the world's Deltas are sinking due to damning Mining and other causes sea level is rising ocean acidification is a real threat we are altering Earth's natural cycles we have entered the anthropos scene a new geological Epoch dominated by Humanity this Relentless pressure on our planet risks unprecedented destabilization but our creativity energy and Industry offer hope we have shaped our past we are shaping our present we can shape our future you and I are part of this story we are
the first generation to realize this new responsibility as the population grows to 9 billion we must find a safe operating space for Humanity for the sake of future Generations Welcome to the anthrop pasine [Music]
