The Anthropocene and the geography of everything: can we learn how to think and act well in the ‘age of humans’?

Geoscientists claim that we live in a new geological epoch, such is the magnitude, scale and scope of the human impact on the Earth. Yet the Anthropocene cannot speak for itself: it requires spokespeople to analyse and evaluate its character and meaning. The Anthroposcene necessarily mediates our understanding of the Anthropocene. This review essay assesses one of the latest editions to ‘the scene’, the book Altered Earth (2022) edited by Julia Adeney Thomas. Aimed at those with little prior knowledge, Altered Earth raises questions about how best to represent the fast-expanding Anthroposcene so that neophytes can grasp the key questions, issues and debates. Like it or not, the Anthropocene presents truly formidable challenges to thought and action. The richness of the Anthroposcene needs to be parsed in ways that allow those outside it to comprehend the principal analytical, moral-ethical, aesthetic and practical problems, perspectives and opportunities.