The History of the Planet

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Carian Richmond-Jones is the Economist's international economics correspondent. He says geologists have been on the hunt for places to prove that humanity has made its mark in geological time. In 2000, Paul Krewtsen argued that a new epoch should be declared, called the Anthropocene. The International Union of Geological Sciences decided this year that these impacts were big enough to confirm it - but only in theory.

Following years of military takeovers in the region, Niger is the West’s last solid ally in the Sahel. But with this coup, and growing alignment with Russia, these relations are in jeopardy. Why is a policy to decongest London proving such a politically divisive issue (10:49)? And, a deep dive into a Canadian lake shows that humanity may be entering a new epoch (17:01).

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