We are in the Age of Man: The Anthropocene

By:
Wyeth Mckinley: Reporter: Enter the Anthropocene
Savannah Parker: Convener: The Moral Dilemma We Face in the Age of Humans
Alexander Castillo: Reporter: The Anthropocene
Meera Butalia: Presenter: After Nature

What is the Anthropocene?

• The Anthropocene is a termed coined by the Dutch chemist Paul Crutzen,

which has been widely used since then to refer to a new geological age, in
which human activity has been the dominant influence on the environment.
• The basis for the argument that we are now living in this ”Age of Man”, is
that if humans have the ability to change the environment purposefully or
inadvertently, humanity has reached a point where we are more powerful
than the environment in terms of lasting change made to the Earth.

Biggest human impacts, and how they demonstrate the Anthropocene.

• Change in composition of the atmosphere

• Many geological periods are distinguished by the fossils that show the
biodiversity and atmospheric quality of that time period. The change
in composition of our atmosphere will remained fossilized as an
indicator of that change we have already made to the Earth.
• The change in composition of the atmosphere has also contributed to
mass migrations causes by seasonal changes that change the natural
balance of many ecological systems.
• Carbon dioxide levels have risen dramatically since the advent of the
industrial revolution and are one of the primary culprits in
contribution to green house gases, all as a result of human activity.
• Coral Reef Gap
• Coral Reef acidification results from the burning of fossil fuels and
global warming. Often, the death of the coral reefs is used to
distinguish a new geological age because it represents a profound
change in the climate and biosphere.
• Large Scale Agriculture
• Because our cities and urban areas will likely not be the remnants that
future scientists study, instead our pollen output recorded in the fossil
 forming today will indicate the breadth of our agricultural system,
which has a whole host of impacts on the environment.
• Currently exhibiting trends to be moving towards the 6th Mass Extinction
• Acidification of the coral reefs has been a symptom of the causes of
mass extinction in the past.
• Rising temperatures and prevalence of carbon dioxide in the
atmosphere also predictors of a mass extinction
• Both are results of human activity, and our contribution to a mass
extinction event, demonstrates how profound an effect we are having
on the Earth.

How will it end?

• Once the existence of the Anthropocene is accepted, the question is how
humanity will work to address it, and how we need to change to interact with
the environment in a more balanced way, rather than bending and breaking it
to fit out needs in a very confined way.
• Three major ways of dealing with it:
• Continue on with old patterns and same actions, ignoring the problem
until we can no longer survive in the environment we have created for
ourselves.
• Address the problem with societal, economic, and environmental
actions that have long term impact in mind and work towards
sustainability.
• Use geo-engineering to target the environment and change it more to
deal with the problems we are currently facing, but with unknown
effects.