The Anthropocene?
Driving Question: How will the transformations of globalization affect our world in the future?
Humanity’s impacts on the planet have become so profound that many scholars believe we have entered a new geological epoch, the Anthropocene. There are over 8 billion of us on this planet. Our machines are powered by fuels that emit greenhouse gases that drive climate change. Our patterns of consumption and production are transforming ecosystems and polluting the Earth, water, and air. And other species on the planet are rapidly disappearing. Still, the future is unwritten, and you have a part to play in shaping it. What will the world of tomorrow look like? What historical frames can help you prepare for what’s to come?
- Analyze how globalization has impacted the environment.
- Develop a new frame for analyzing world history.
- Use close-reading skills to evaluate the impact of globalization on the environment.
Humans and Energy: Crash Course World History #207
Key Ideas
-
Guiding Questions
-
Before you watch
Before you watch the video, it’s a good idea to open and skim the video transcript. And always read the questions below so you know what to look and listen for as you watch!
While you watch
- How does Stan define energy and where does most of our energy come from?
- What were the first two major energy technologies that humans discovered?
- Does Stan think that coal is a nineteenth-century technology? Explain your answer.
- Why don’t we use more nuclear energy?
After you watch
- Do you think the history of energy use is a story of progress? Why or why not?
- How would the society you live in change if we suddenly lost access to energy from fossil fuels?
-
Guiding Questions
-
Note: For more detailed directions on completing the three close reads below, refer to the Three Close Reads – Introduction activity.
Skim
Before you read, you should quickly skim the article, by looking at the headings of each section and the charts. Read the questions below as well, so you know what to look for when you read!
Key Ideas
- What is the other geological name for the Anthropocene?
- What does the graph “Human Influences on Global Temperature” (figure 2.1) illustrate?
- Using the same reference, compare the period between 1880 and 1940 and that between 1940 and 2020. What do you notice?
- What is the current rate of decline in the biodiversity of all sectors of the planet?
- What do Three Mile Island (US), Chernobyl (Ukraine), and Fukushima (Japan) have in common?
- How long do many scientists believe we have left to address global climate change? How might we correct our ongoing impact on the environment?
Evaluate
- How does climate change influence human rights? Who is most affected by climate change?
- Are different perspectives on climate change helpful or harmful? Both?
