The Anthropocene engine has allowed humanity to free itself from many of the things that otherwise would have kept population growth in check.

Comment: Population growth, climate change and the ‘Anthropocene engine’ transforming the planet

At first glance, the connections between the world’s growing population and climate change seem obvious. The more people we have on this planet, the larger their collective impact on the climate. However, a closer look with a longer time horizon reveals relationships between population size and climate change that can help us better understand humanity’s