Looking around the world today it is easy to see the anxiety mankind is feeling over the ever present global changes occurring. The natural disasters, the warming of the climate, the dangerous gasses trapped in the ozone layers, these are all consequences of human technology and scientific revolution.This idea that humans have created a forever changed world and history is Anthropocene, termed by Eugene Stoermer, Dr Crutzen in the Article, A Man Made World published by The Economist. According to the two chemists, humans are living in an age in which the planet has become an innocent bystander in the every growing science and technology of human usage. Similarly author Bruno Latour claims that mankind has committed the sin of creating such a disaster and then running from the consequences and abandoning all responsibility, in his article Love Your Monsters: Why We Must Care for Our Technologies Like We Do Our Children. The two articles point out the error of humans creations and its devastating consequences to our society and planet, while at the same time calling upon man to be a better creator, invested in its creations and their consequences. Stoermer and Crutzen begin their article explaining the sciences that define the ages we evolved from and the age we are currently living in. Astronomy, the study of celestial objects in the universe, is the branch of science used to describe what is currently happening. Geology the study of earth's physical structures is a
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.
Anthropocene is a term used to describe earth’s history including when humans dominated a majority of natural processes globally. Anthropocence was a term used throughout the article to discuss the impact humankind had on the environment that caused many changes that had a negative impact over many years. Another term used was anthrones, the human footprint, which describes how much human kind has made lasting impassions on the earth. These terms have made me come to the realization anthropology operates at the crossroads of social and physical sciences, along with humanities to examine the diversity of humankind across many cultures and time.
To begin with, Scranton describes the scenery of war in Iraq and if he would have survived and persevered this journey. Humans would have to embrace the modern advancements today’s society to outlast the Anthropocene. As a matter of fact, struggles, consequences, obstacles and death are various aspects of life that we should embrace and not ignore. The understanding of civilization is very important and acquiring the knowledge to be aware of major concerns and issues of the environment is substantial. Scranton emphasizes that humans have not progressed to avoid the “unmanageable global warning”, but humankind could live and adjust to the changes of the environment (Scranton 24). The is future is always a concern but uncertain, whereas we cannot disregard our destinies.
These days, we have a serious problem along with the population growth. Overpopulation causes lots of different impacts on earth. One major problem is pollution that people make. I feel very sorry for our planet since I was more likely to participate in the works that might cause the earth sick. However, I am now concerned about our climate changes which are the result of our human activities. Also, I decided to change my lifestyle as an eco-friendly person after reading articles from two different authors. The articles, “I am the Population Problem” by Lisa Hymas and “Meet my Kid, an Adorable Environmental Disaster” by Jeff Feldman, share some similar basic ideas while they have some key differences. Both Hymas and Feldman
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
Earth science focuses on disciplines such as oceanography, meteorology, geology and astronomy where to begin with, astronomy is the study of matter outside the atmosphere of the earth. Both sciences are connected, and one influences the other, and an example is the seasons of the earth, which is determined by the location of the earth in its orbit and its distance from the sun. An individual needs both astronomical and Earth science knowledge to interpret these seasons. Another relationship between space and the earth is the moon, which has its own gravitational pull and majorly affects the earth's oceanic tides, which are created by the centrifugal
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
The evolution of the universe and our behaviour throughout history. I will set out to consider Laura Moriarty: Plateau (2011) and Mary Mattingly: Pull detail, (2013) in relation to “Minimal Ethics for the Anthropocene,” Joanna Zylinska, (2014). I will consider our human responsibility for the world and show the changes and composition of life through human relations and ethic towards the universe. And can we re-evaluate our minimal ethics, while there’s still time for changes.
The fundamental principles, the concepts of spatiality, temporality, organizational structure, and health effects and outcomes of environmental toxicology are all correlated. From the way pollutants are transported from one environment to another to the ultimate impact the pollutant exposed to the system. I start off thinking of the overall idea environmental toxicology with a global picture and global environmental impacts and how it is correlated with everything. In the article “The Trajectory of the Anthropocene: The Great Acceleration”. This paper gave a very detailed explanation on a trend that they have confidence in is due to human influence on the Earth. This influence is shown in 24 graphs that depict an intense acceleration in human enterprise
The phrase “We are a product of our pasts” is not to imply the past is what determines the future; this phrase emphasizes the acknowledgement of how disparities emerge within the world through the examination of past human action. Within these examinations are the answers to how societies should refrain from regulating the modern world in order to promote the survival of the future. The most prominent result of human reluctance in acknowledging this examination of history has begun to take form in the world, and there is no foreseeable anecdote in place to relieve this cancerous consequence. Global warming induced climate change has begun to take its malignant hold on this planet, and it is initiating the thoroughness of its impending
The Anthropocene, a new geological epoch sounds new for a lot of people. It is an era which indicates the extreme impact of humankind or human-dominated on the earth. This epoch described by scholars that “Geological Era in which human activity has affected the geological flows and forces to such a degree that one can’t remove humans out of the equation” (qtd Steinmann 7). Scholars suggest that the significant impact of humankind intervention in the environment that accelerate the Anthropocene epoch to the peak contributed through mismanagement of the plastic waste, industrial waste particles dispersed on the planet and the release of carbon monoxide gas from large or small scale industries. Those and other non describes human’s mismanaged human activity on the environment is a reason for the unpredictable climate change, high sea level and other natural disasters all over the earth. All signs of the Antropocene era show that humans are able to destruct the environment or can participate in the developments of the environment.
Finney and Edwards raise concerns over this component of the Anthropocene. The emphasis on the beginning of the Anthropocene ignores the geological strata, which is a major component to its validity as an official epoch. According to Finney and Edwards, the Anthropocene overly emphasizes the beginning of this potential epoch, not its contents. The focus on the start leads to “the opinion that geological time scales are defined solely by their beginnings” (Finney and Edwards, 7). According to the AWG, the suggested start for the Anthropocene is 1945 (Finney and Edwards, 7). An indicator for this date is “the human human-caused atomic detonations” that resulted in the spread of atomic radiation across the planet (Zalasiewicz et al., 2230). In defining the Anthropocene based on its cause and date, and using the definition as grounds for justification as a geological time unit is where Finney and Edwards find fault. Also, the core of the concept centers at being a human caused event, which can be used to socially and politically sway
The Anthropocene has not only created challenges but also provided opportunities for business and commerce. Industrial Revolution during the early 19th century, introduced the massive burning of fossil fuels. The burning of fossil fuels release dangerous gases, such as CO2, CO, SO2, into the environment (Middlecamp, 2015). Toxification has been one of the main environmental challenges to date, especially for businesses as many take responsibilities for the release of these deadly chemicals into the environment. According to Steffen (2007), “From a preindustrial value of 270–275 ppm, atmospheric carbon dioxide had risen to about 310 ppm by 1950” (p. 618).
Modernism represents an optimistic view of human impact on the environment that has been the dominant viewpoint for the last 200 years. The knowledge that mankind holds the ability to control the environment heavily stresses why climate change is not such a problem to worry about. One of the core beliefs of the modernistic perspective is that people have no need to fear future environmental disaster because the next technological advancement that will prevent it is right around the corner. Furthermore, those who share this view do not include themselves in their image of the ecosystem, believing they are detached from it. Lastly, a laissez-faire approach is taken to environmental problems, focusing on progression through technology, stressing that as long as progress is made in this area all problems will be fixed. For a modernist, climate change is nothing to worry about. This may be a real situation, but it will be solved with advancements in technology before one’s way of life is changed. What people should be worrying about is ensuring a laissez faire approach to the market with sponsorship to new technologies. As a result of reusable energy technology already existing, modernists believe that the problem of climate change has been solved and without disrupting free market system these technologies will be further implemented. As long as there are people given the opportunity to innovate, some will focus on and ultimately solve the concern of climate change. The issue of
We as a society have reached one of the most crucial time periods in the history of our world. Due to the way we have used the resources on this earth we have created a situation in which our climate is drastically changing. The burning of fossil fuels such as coal and oil has caused gases like carbon dioxide to become trapped in the atmosphere causing a natural greenhouse effect. The greenhouse effect has caused the earth’s average temperature to rise and has resulted in arctic glaciers melting. These glaciers had gases trapped inside them that are now being released into the atmosphere further raising the earth's temperature. Due to the way we are polluting our air we have caused global warming. This global warming has caused stronger natural disasters such as hurricanes and wildfires putting our society in more danger than ever before.