The Age of Mankind

2017, Environment  -   12 Comments
6.86
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Ratings: 6.86/10 from 63 users.

According to Dutch scientist Paul Crutzen, the planet is on the cusp of entering a new geological age: the Anthropocene. Produced by the VPRO Backlight documentary series, The Age of Mankind verifies the evidence in support of Crutzen's pronouncement, and examines the long-term consequences of man's continued exploitation of the environment.

The film presents a firm challenge to those who deny the existence of man-made climate change. 2016 was the hottest year ever in recorded history. The deforestation and rampant infrastructure that have occurred in sensitive ecological regions have caused a grave imbalance. Noxious gasses obscure the skies, and destroy the clean air that sustains us. Plastic bottles, toxic chemicals and other waste materials are now destroying crucial life under our polluted seas. Yet, our modern politicians continue to doubt the relevancy of scientific consensus, and the stark evidence of climate change that lies in plain sight.

The filmmakers take great pains to confirm the connections between human activities and global warming. They cite the work of a 19th century German explorer and naturalist named Alexander von Humboldt, whose groundbreaking efforts brought forth the earliest confirmation of climate change. Two centuries later, a significant number of power players in the United States government refuse to concede this relationship.

The film travels to various regions to illustrate the escalating influence of our footprint on the natural world. In Greenland, the once reliable glaciers are in a continual meltdown. Once they dwindle from existence completely, sea levels will rise and flood many of our most vulnerable coastal cities.

It's not all doom and gloom. The film also introduces us to the innovators who are committed to fostering more sustainable solutions. We also learn about the activists who recently took the historical step of suing the Dutch government for failing to reduce CO2 emissions.

The producers of The Age of Mankind have provided extensive coverage of climate change concerns over the years. During the course of this insightful new installment, a panel of renowned experts in the fields of geology, history, philosophy and sustainability review past episodes and offer their prognosis on the survival of our planet.

Directed by: Alexander Oey

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12 Comments / User Reviews

  1. Prince Kapone

    White people seem to hate nature

  2. Mr M

    Grand Solar Minimum 2020 to 2055. Enough said.

  3. Jeffrey

    Hold on let’s look at one of the first statements of video.

    “This animation shows the pollution traveling to the United States, yet climate deniers continue to trivialize”

    Ok so let me rephrase you statement to the absurd stupidity that it is.

    “This anamation ( a computer generated cartoon and completely fabricated) shows pollution going across the pacific,

    Yet climate change deniers (people who don’t believe in your cartoon, or the idea that humans are destroying the earth with cow farts, and autos) continue to trivialize the growing influence of man on earth.”

    Notice in pc culture how we can’t say salesman but have to say salesperson, can’t say policeman but must say police officer, but man is who is destroying the earth. It’s clear what they are trying to say, but the choice in language shows a mindset about wh how these people think.

    Last thing is that 2016 was apparently the warmest year ever recorded. In the 200 years that weather has been recorded, that has been out of several billions of years of climate that this earth has moved through, and we know that the earths climate in past ages, was much hotter in several prehistoric periods. Can anyone tell me what the correct pace that the climate is supposed to Change. Maybe you could tell the climate to slow down, at least the USA could spend less money on this completely fruitless endeavor. Where is the science in this video?

  4. JBWentworth

    Sorry, I cant her about CC from a guy who doesn't brush his rotten teeth. What is he trying to conserve? Enamel?

  5. Jan

    Wish we could watch this in the Netherlands where VPRO is based... Its blocked here for some reason

    1. PP

      Aye me too. While it's VPRO from Netherlands. Couldnt find it on website from VPRO either. I used VPN to watch this, here.

  6. john

    Who are these "experts". They sound like naive children to me. Why was this video made? Who's profiting by it? Once you know the answer to this then you know why you should believe every yahoo who comes along claiming they know something you don't. Everyone has a bias and everyone has an agenda and most of those have to do with psychological problems of ego. Relax and float downstream. If you really want to fix the "problem" and have a real effect don't procreate. If you do then stfu.

  7. frish

    Farming made cities happen. Cities are where we live now. Our impact, worldwide, on the natural order, is orders of magnitude greater than it ought to be. We're killing off the species that supported our evolution, and loads that had NOTHING to do with human evolution (how about sharks and tuna, didn't provide much nutrition before 300 years ago...and we're killing them off as fast as we can...).

    1. mysterioso

      No, farming didn't make cities happen. Industry made cities happen. When factories began springing up in the late 1800's people move off the farms and into the cities. I think what you may mean is that cultures became sedentary, (living in one place), when they went from hunter/gatherers, (nomadic) to raising plants for food.

  8. Jack

    Given the subject matter of this documentary. It fails to mention the one factor that is hastening the "Anthropocentric" destruction of "Earth's Biosphere". In turn, all living matter that it consist of air, water, plants, animals and yes, Humans, too. The one factor is Global "Geo Engineering" and the primary element that is used to exert it's terminal effects is "Aluminum" Toxic to all living things down to the cellular level. This horrific technology has done more to degrade the "Earth's Biosphere" than any other man made project in all of Human history. It would be a refreshing welcome if the producers of this documentary. Would show the same level of courage to produce an unabridged documentary on the subject of "Geo Engineering" and it's total known effects that are happening around the globe.

    Thank you,

    Jack

    A very concerned global citizen.

  9. Bjorn

    The earth is flat! Research flat earth.

    1. Carson Wayne Newton

      I did and I was shocked. The source that I found, Flat Earth Society, states that there goal is to spread Flat Earth theory in order to create a completely homosexual human race leading to the extinction of the species. Their website also states that believing in Flat Earth theory automatically make you a homo.