WELCOME TO THE ANTHROPOCENE EPOCH

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.

These Youtube clips help to explain what's been happening:

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