Sea(s) of plastic waste. |
Since the end of WWII humans have become a major geological force, altering our world in ways we never imagined. Consider the following:
* More than half of all the concrete ever created has been used in the past 20 years.
* We are now finding the presence of isotopes from nuclear testing from the 1950s and 1960s.
* We have put so much plastic in our waterways and oceans (about 300 metric tons per year now) that microplastic particles will be found in future fossil records.
* Just 25% of ice-free land is considered wild, compared to 50% three centuries ago. As a result, rates of extinction of species are far above long-term averages.
The Concrete Jungle spreads across Asia. |
For more on the issue you can check out the following:
BBC: 'Case is made' for Anthropocene epoch.
The Guardian: Human impact has pushed earth into the Anthropocene, scientists say.
IFLS: Scientists believe we have entered a new geological epoch.
Science: The Anthropocene is functionally and stratigraphically distinct from the Holocene.
- Mark
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