ABSTRACT
On closer analysis, it is indeed clear that the biosphere is now affected more by mankind than by biophysical processes, which were independent of human intervention for most of Earth’s history. Human beings are now affecting the biosphere irreversibly and in a unique way, not only with regard to the Holocene but to the history of the earth in general. For instance, in the year 2000, man appropriated over 20 per cent of terrestrial biomass produced: for food, fuel and raw materials (Krausmann et al. 2008). Depending on definition and assumptions, in 2000 only between 25 per cent and 40 per cent of global land was wild land. Areas of little or no use, such as deserts, are included in this share (Klein Goldewijk et al., s.d.).
