The Anthropocene describes the epoch when humanity becomes a geological force. This is reflected by the global impact of humans on the environment: every square centimeter of the planet now carries a human imprint, from megalopolis and CO2 levels to intensive farming and radioactive traces. Conversely, almost every human being carries a small bit of the planet. For instance, because the main mines of phosphate are located in Morocco and China, and as phosphate is a common fertilizer, we are all made of Moroccan and Chinese phosphate.

The impact of humans on the planet is not new, as it probably started with agriculture 10,000 years ago. Rather, the newsworthy issue embedded in the concept of the Anthropocene resides in the scale of transformation: humanity is now changing the planet at a global level, and at an increasingly faster pace. The current consensus, albeit debated, for a start date for the Anthropocene is around the year 1950, because the human imprint is easily recognizable in the stratigraphy (radioactive traces from nuclear tests) and also because this date marks the beginning of the so-called “Great Acceleration” during which humanity has exploited resources of the planet at an unprecedented speed.

In the frame of the Anthropocene Curriculum, our goal, of course, is not to be catastrophist! Instead, here, we want to focus on the many implications that the Anthropocene raises: we live in an extra-ordinary epoch. The transition we are experiencing is both fast and total. What is at stake is beyond each of us individually and, therefore, calls for interdisciplinary understanding, new forms of education and deep societal mutations.