Anthropocene

In the early twentieth century, most ships were powered by coal and steam. The first diesel engine was built by Rudolf Diesel in 1897. It became part of almost all types of ships and a driving force of globalization.

Due to destructive environmental consequences carbon-based energy systems should slowly be replaced by sources with low to zero carbon dioxide emissions such as solar, wind, and hydroelectric power.

The discovery of the x-ray in 1895 marks the start of medical imagery for diagnostic purposes. The ability to look inside a living body revolutionized the way we look at medicine and human anatomy.

The discovery of the nuclear chain reaction enabled the construction of atomic bombs and nuclear power plants—something never intended by the scientists.

The atmosphere can hold up to 1,500 billion tons of carbon dioxide and still keep global warming under 2°C; the consequences become uncontrollable once this limit is breached.

In the year 2000, Bill Clinton introduced a preview of the Human Genome Project and promised rapid progress for the diagnosis and treatment of illnesses such as cancer, diabetes, and Alzheimer’s disease.

During the 19th century engineers identified and developed precise solutions for problems in the production of commodities—like the Bessemer process, the first inexpensive industrial process for the mass production of steel.

The Great Pacific Garbage Patch, an exceptional example of marine pollution, was discovered by Charles J. Moore in 1997 after returning from a sailing race.

The large-scale testing of the atomic bomb in 1950 has left radioactive elements that could send strong, traceable chemical signals into our atmosphere for millennia.

The volume of air traffic increased drastically over the past 50 years as a result of globalization and mass tourism and has a significant impact on climate change.