End-Time Stories—Mostly Dramatic Framings

This chapter is dedicated to the strong metaphors and mostly alarming narratives about the Anthropocene. The ideas concerning the Anthropocene are related to conceptions of the Earth, globe, and planet, which were strongly influenced by space travel. At the center are images of the sick planet on the one hand, and immeasurably large numbers, alarming curves, and drastic diagrams on the other. There is a wide panorama of powerful narratives that simultaneously, and often implicitly, carry political ideals and moral concepts. The chapter shows how the Anthropocene is linked with certain images of humanity in the discourse, and that these metaphors represent a social fact that influences societal change.