The End of an Epoch

Many of the changes to the Earth’s depleted biosphere are irreversible, and most of them are very recent.

A new geological era is defined by signals that occur globally and become part of the future geological record.  In August 2016, at the Geological Congress in Cape Town, South Africa, experts recommended that the new Anthropocene epoch be declared due to humanity’s impact on the Earth.  Today, the scale of change has intensified unbelievably, and in Toronto, Canada, Crawford Lake has become a historic marker for scientists.  Geologists are recommending the start of a new geological epoch defined by how humans have impacted the Earth.

The earlier epoch, the Holocene, only survived eleven and a half millenia, but it was during this time that human civilization flourished.  Since the last ice age, the earth’s climate was at its most stable, and the climate was more hospitable to the proliferation of plant and animal life.

The Holocene epoch, the ‘Age of Man,’ saw great development of human knowledge and technology.  But habitat destruction and pollution caused global warming, the end of the Whooly Mammoth, amongst other species, and the shrinkage of forests.

We have now entered the Earth’s sixth major extinction. Alterations to the earth’s biosphere have been made in part by nuclear bomb testing which has blown radio-active elements into the stratosphere.  During the second half of the 20th century, a large number of nuclear tests were conducted underground, underwater, and in the atmosphere, by the U.S and other nuclear powers.  Radiation exposure from the testing caused a higher incidence of cancer in humans and animals; contaminated soil and vegetation; and the transfer of radiation from the atmosphere to the oceans has been assimilated by the marine environment.

According to the Union of Concerned Scientists, coal plants are the nation’s top source of carbon dioxide (CO₂) emissions, the primary cause of global warming. Burning coal is the leading cause of smog, acid rain and toxic air pollution. Coal plants could control pollution of Sulfur dioxide, Nitrogen oxides, soot particles and Mercury, but existing technologies to reduce emissions have not been installed in most plants.

While most experts believe the Anthropocene Epoch is a consequence of the Industrial Revolution, some argue that it actually began thousands of years ago, when the development of farming, and the raising of livestock began. However, new farming technology, which use artificial fertilizer, create high levels of phosphates and nitrogen in the soil, and causes nutrient pollution. Nutrient pollution affects water quality and is a potent greenhouse gas.

As humans started reshaping the environment to grow crops, and deforestation created a huge human footprint on the Earth, the effects of greenhouse gas emissions and more recent human impact on the Earth, starting from the mid 20th century, have accelerated the changes, and have stopped the growth of biodiversity.

Plastic contamination has had catastrophic effects for the birds who ingest it, and plastic accounts for 80% of the world’s marine pollution. Millions of tons of plastic waste float our oceans and cause global contamination that will continue to exist in the future. Toxic chemicals from plastic decomposition are eaten by fish which in turn are eaten by humans.  In essence, humans are eating their own waste.  Marine phytoplankton and marine algae have declined 40% due to rising sea temperatures. Coral reefs will become extinct in the Anthropocene Epoch.

The evidence of the Anthropocene epoch will be evident for future generations:  75% of animals will become extinct if the current trend continues.  Fossil fuels will increase global warming and leave a permanent layer of carbon in glacial ice. Plastic in our oceans will leave fossil records. From the last century alone, fertilizers in the soil will increase nitrogen oxide and ammonia in our water and the environment.

Thinking of all living creatures beyond our era, the Anthropocene Epoch could be one where we create a sustainable future for the planet.  At least collectively we have come to the conclusion that human actions will determine how long the epoch lasts.  We could successfully overcome the threats our planet is facing, and embrace new technology which could benefit the planet and all humanity for epochs to come.

The Astrophysicist Martin Rees has said this:

“…we could be of special cosmic significance for jump-starting the transition to electronic (and near immortal) entities, spreading their influence through the Galaxy and far transcending our limitations.”

Check out the music video for Holocene by Bon Hiver:

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