LOGICal eMOTIONs

Humans: Welcome to Anthropocene

// February 19th, 2008 // Brain Dump, Logical Emotions

Science Matters: Kilroy was here

You see – it seems that we’ve entered a new epoch: a period of geological time usually reserved for distinguishing between massive periods of change on the planet. In this case we’ve moved from the era that geologists call the Holocene, which has been this relatively stable period since the last ice age 10-12,000 years ago, to the Anthropocene – a time when human activities have become the dominating force of change on the planet.

Are we lucky that we get to be a part of a time where an epoch changes, or is that simply the saddest state of affairs ever possible?

As Mr. Suzuki points out, “changing epochs is not like changing your socks.”, and he is quite right. The era we currently just left was called the Holocene which has lasted for the past 10-12 THOUSAND years and pretty much started at the end of the last ice age. The influence of human beings on the Earth itself which moves us from the era of Holocene to Anthropocene, has been so huge that we rival ice ages and mass extinctions (ie. dinosaurs!). A change so significant that in say 10,000 years when archaeologists are digging in the dirt, there will be a boundary layer between this one and the last one that was completely caused by US.

Mr. Suzuki sums it up nicely, so I will leave you with this, and I invite you to go read the article. It’s likely the biggest news of our existance.

So, there you have it, the case for the Anthropocene. We’ve done it. We’ve written our name on the wall. We’re the king of the hill, lord of the sandbox. We’re now the most powerful force of change on the planet – so much that we actually get our own epoch. A pretty big responsibility for a naked ape that emerged on the plains of Africa only 150,000 years ago.

So what now, little human? What now?

.

Popularity: 22% [?]