THE ANTHROPOCENE
Key: Em (capo 2)
Got a secret that’s going on. Em D C7 B7
Big bank account’s overdrawn. Em D C7 B7
Miami and London, New York and Hong Kong, Em G Am A#dim
Gonna see trouble before too long. B7 — C7 B7 /
Em D C7 B7 (2)
Dark energy love affair,
Out of the ground, into the air.
Pollution and profit, what a pair,
Left our fingerprints everywhere. B7 — C7 B7 Em D C7 B7 / Em- D7-
And we better come clean, in the Anthropocene G Em Am D
It’s just human beings, the Anthropocene G Em Am D G B7
Stuff washing up on the beach,
Ain’t anyplace out of reach.
Top of the mountain, out in space,
Can’t get away from the human race
Economists got it wrong,
What makes an economy strong.
Natural capital’s overdrawn.
Just don’t know what you’ve got ’til it’s gone.
And we better come clean, in the Anthropocene
It’s just human beings, the Anthropocene
‘Cause the earth’ll go happily on her own, C D
But what’ll we do for a home? B7 E7
Better turn back, clean up our act: A7
It’s a message from the twilight zone. D7
You may be a king or a queen, C A#dim6
But you’re already deep in the Anthropocene G E7 A7 D7 G — D7—
And we better come clean, in the Anthropocene
It’s just human beings, the Anthropocene
If you really wanna stay afloat, E7
Then get together and row this boat! A7 D7
‘Cause we’re all human beings, in the Anthropocene.
In the Anthropocene.
Music & lyrics ©Doug Hendren 2017
What’s it about? We are in a new era. Human impact on the Earth has been so profound in recent decades that it is now the main driving force of an entirely new geological epoch, the Anthropocene. Experts say that it began around 1950, and future archeologists will easily identify it by evidence of nuclear fallout, plastic and chemical pollution in every nook and cranny of the world.
The most dramatic distinction, however, will be an abrupt shift from a cool planet to a hot one, due to a nearly vertical rise rise in atmospheric CO2 concentration. There is simply no precedent in Earth’s history for the events unfolding today. Earth will survive, but human civilization as we know it may not. The economic roots, consequences and solutions to this extraordinary and perilous point in time have been articulated by some of today’s most capable writers and scientific minds (here’s a short reading list).
What does the future hold? Visions vary from deeply dystopic to moderately optimistic, depending mainly upon a range of possible human choices. What is clear is that we have already left the gentle Holocene, a 12,000-year epoch characterized by a remarkably stable and life-supporting global climate. Global surface temperature has risen close to 1°C already, setting in motion extreme weather events worldwide. Consequences include threats to our food supply as well as rising seas reclaiming coastal cities.
The good news is that we already have the technology to change our trajectory. Experts at Stanford University and elsewhere have given us an affordable, practical roadmap to a 100% clean-energy economy. Our greatest challenge is not the technology, but finding the political will. It’s our choice. Nobody’s coming to save us. It’s just human beings in the Anthropocene.
How Space Debris Threatens Modern Life https://ig.ft.com/space-debris/
This is a fantastic song…thanks for writing and sharing it!