Life

Are we now entering the Anthropocene, an age shaped primarily by people?  

Some geologists say we are already living in the Anthropocene age: the age of man. For example, almost 90% of the world’s plant activity, by some estimates, is to be found in ecosystems where humans play a significant role, thereby putting further strains on the planet's resilience.

In 1960, the average life span globally was 52.6 years. Today it’s  72 years. The reasons include improvements in child survival, expanded access to healthcare (including widespread vaccination), and people being lifted out of extreme poverty.

Dollar Street is a powerful and fascinating site, showing how people really live around the world. Dollar Street is a project from Gapminder, the foundation set up by the late, great Hans Rosling, who died a year ago from pancreatic cancer, aged only 68. He is missed.