Anthropocene Ecological Issues

In “The Changing Nature of Nature: Environmental Politics in the Anthropocene” environmental politician Paul Wapner depicts the human impacts on nature, and their significant intervention in ecosystem dynamics. His research outlines the “end of nature” (Wapner, 37) and aims to put emphasis on the beginning of the Anthropocene, suggesting that we are finally realizing that nature is not merely a material object. With this in mind, Wapner argues that the ways in which we protect nature should be significantly different, this, justifying his study. In order to form an argument, Wapner begins by summarizing a general piece of academic research, and through this is then able to provide an organized overview of the logic of his argument. The alternation

Humanity is confronted by multiple environmental challenges which threaten to undermine the advances in health achieved over recent decades. The Rockefeller Foundation/Lancet Commission on Planetary Health showed how climate change, loss of biodiversity, land use change, ocean acidification and overfishing, nitrogen and phosphorus loading and environmental pollution more generally all have the potential to adversely affect health through a range of pathways1. A recent joint publication by WHO and Convention on Biological Diversity articulated the myriad connections between biodiversity and health and the threats to both posed by environmental change2. The dramatic changes in the global environment have led many scientists to conclude that we are living in a new geological epoch – the Anthropocene – in which the activities of one species – homo sapiens -have become the dominant driving force transforming the Earth’s natural systems3. These natural systems provide food, clean water and air and modulate the global temperature within limits in which humanity has been able to flourish for around 11,500 years during the preceding Holocene epoch.

The world is in a constant state of change, today’s decisions will affect the future of all species large and small, defining the ways in which society will continue to live. The essay “No New Worlds” written by Dr. Adrian Forsyth explores ideas associated with ever changing populations and states of the world. The essay describes the existence of humankind by their impacts on the surrounding environments. The reader is then introduced to the implications our world faces if these problems are not solved and additionally steps to solving these issues. Thus, both men and women need to take action to help or pay the consequences and protect the only world we have, planet Earth.

In a world that we, as humans, have begun to destroy and shape for the worse, there is still so much that we are oblivious to. From the illegal endangered animal trade to harmful CO2 and methane, Racing Extinction has revealed to both myself and society the constantly ticking clock that is Earth.

The Anthropocene additionally enables us to rethink the connection amongst people and whatever is left of the normal world. Regardless of when it started, the idea of the Anthropocene is noteworthy. It features the size of our effect on Earth. By characterizing another epoch, we are announcing that the effect of our activities is worldwide and irreversible. It enables us to join various talks in regards to the condition of the planet, from environmental change to loss of biodiversity to natural degradation, by distinguishing the one thing they have in like manner; they have all been influenced by human impact.

Val Plumwood in her essay “Paths Beyond Human-Centeredness,” illustrates the impact that humans have on nature and non-animals when it comes to preserving environments. Understanding that nature has it’s living properties that let it thrive among its resources allows for people to grasp the complexities that come about when construction companies destroy the environment in which they work. Plumwood uses the term dualism to refer to the sharp distinction between two classes of individuals. There is the high class, which is considered as the “One.” In contrast, the other side of the division consists of individuals that are classified as lower and are subordinates to the “One” as “Others.” This account on dualism allows the reader to understand how humans can significantly alter the environment because of the way they perceive its resources and inhabitants. Plumwood defines five characteristics that illustrate the oppressive actions that change the connection between human relations and the relationship between humans and nature.

Has Earth entered into a new geologic epoch, characterized by human influences? A recent study, spear-headed by the British Geological Survey, has come to the conclusion that man’s global impact has become distinct enough to end the Holocene and effectively begin the Anthropocene. Published in Science, the study identifies how man’s impact on our oceans, resources, climate, and vegetation has altered the sedimentary makeup of the planet. Massive species invasions, increased rates of extinction, genetically modified plants, redistributed metals, sediment, hydrocarbons, fossils, increased levels of carbon, nitrogen, and phosphorus all combine to create signals that geologists interpret to denote a break in the Holocene

Anthropocene refers to the start of a time where human influence on the earth’s ecological and geological state rapidly increased. This rapid increase is known as the “Great Acceleration” which takes place from the mid-20th century and continues on today. A push was made to distinguish this time from the previous epoch known as the Holocene period because of the dramatic impact that humanity is now having on the environment. The Anthropocene period is characteristically different because the changes in the ecological environment are being rapidly affected and changed due to human activity not purely natural means. While humans were active during the Holocene period they did not begin to affect their environment

According to the article “The Anthropocene: Can Humans Survive A Human Age?”, our society is now passing through a new geological age so called Anthropocene, characterized by a centralization of the human being in the society. However, looking at the humanity today, it does not seem to be so. I would rather say money is the center of the world nowadays; in fact, everything turns around it: it is a limitless loop that walks with us for our entire life. Because of the people’s careless toward the earth, our home, Anthropocene will be maybe remembered (if it will be even a way to be remembered) as the darkest era for the human species. In fact, the climate and the environment change take hold in this era and they are strictly linked to the bad

Released through Metal Blade in 2015, The Anthropocene Extinction, in my opinion is perhaps the masterpiece of this band's career. Although this album's production is highly groomed and highly compressed, the band incorperates much thicker, chunkier, bassier riffs that leaves the album feeling like it has much more of a human touch. And not only that, but the writing on this album is the most progressive I've heard from this band yet. Cattle Decapitation maintains the very furioucious and vicious aspects of their sound, but they've also paid much more attention the hooks of each song, and in my opinion in doing so caused a lot of the material here to be legitamently catchy. Another thing I noticed as I was listening to this album, is that

Through the years, our planet has been negatively affected by anthropogenic activities. The Anthropocene has been thought of as a geological period where human activity has negatively impacted ecological systems on the planet. These harmful activities have led to, air pollution, soil degradation, and soil contamination in urban and suburban areas, by dangerous pollutants like heavy metals and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (Kumar & Hundal, 2016). Soil and air pollution and other environmental issues and pressures will continue to be a problem as the world’s population rises in an urbanizing society. Now, more than ever, we must collectively work towards a good Anthropocene, which is essentially building sustainable systems that will mitigate the environmental harm already done to the planet and its people. A good Anthropocene will have positive impacts on the natural, built, and social environments.

In the small slither of time human civilisation have been on this planet we have made an unmistakable impact on the planet. The amount of changes humans have made to the planet has now led scientist to give this period of time its own name; The Anthropocene, also known as the ‘Age of Humans’. The Anthropocene era includes things such as the rise of fossil fuels and urbanisation. This has caused a cascade of effects on the landscape, climate, species and even our own way of life. Humans are actively shaping the planet and is something that our own species needs to decide on what we want our future to look like?

In this paper, I will explain what is the Anthropocene and how it is affecting the mortality of trees. Tree especially forest can be wiped out in two way, abiotic and biotic. Abiotic means of death are naturally accruing events that trees experience and with given time build resilience to, but with the help of man these events have become more reoccurring and much more extreme. Climate change is a great factor in the increase of tree mortality, with the rise in global temperature and the increase in extreme weather from the intense burning of fossil fuels. Biotic means that affect the mortality of trees are starvation due to lack of light, water and sometimes lack of Carbon dioxide. There are also diseases, insects and direct biotic means such as deforestation, all will be discussed at some point in this paper.

Since 1975, society has pushed for greater protection and conservation of depleted areas to reduce the anthropocentric impact on ecology. The need to protect areas from globalisation and “human violence” (Cronon 1995, p.19) is due to the over extraction of natural materials. The overuse of materials from the natural realm has devastating effects on the biodiversity of the land due to the lack of replenishment once resources have been extracted. Berkes (2004) presents this notion of community-based conservation, referring to conservation and development being simultaneously achieved. In theory, this allows the interest of both the natural and human world to be fulfilled although in reality there would be large displacements between the needs of conservation and development (Berkes 2004). The worlds movement into the anthropocene era creates strife between the protection of the environment in contrast to the capitalist influence of development. West et al. (2006) conceptualises nature and culture dichotomy disempowering each other as an ultimatum is presented referring to excluding the anthropocene from the land or placing unrealistic standards in which one must achieve. It is believed that the simultaneous development of the world and protection of nature is achievable although many critics, such as West, demonstrate another truth, being the natural world and the anthropocene cannot co-exist. Sarkar (1999) discusses overconsumption of the wilderness and biodiversity, making

White’s thesis in The Historical Roots of our Ecological Crisis states that in order to confront the expanding environmental crises, humans must begin to analyze and alter their treatment and attitudes towards nature. The slow destruction of the environment derives from the Western scientific and technological advancements made since the Medieval time period. “What people do about their ecology depends on what they think about themselves in relation to things around them” (RON p.7). Technology and science alone will not be able to save humans until we adjust the way of thinking and suppress the old ideas of humans power above nature. Instead, we need to learn how to think of ourselves as being