Living in the Anthropocene

Anthropocene is used to describe the current time in which we are living. It’s derived from the Greek anthropo, meaning “human,” while cene comes from the Greek “newness.” We are, in fact, relatively new residents of the planet.

Anthropocene is used to describe the current time in which we are living. It’s derived from the Greek anthropo, meaning “human,” while cene comes from the Greek “newness.” We are, in fact, relatively new residents of the planet. The Earth is 4.5 billion years old, and modern humans have only been around for about 200,000 years. Yet, in that relatively short period, we’ve changed our planet’s chemical, biological, and physical systems, affecting all other species.  Our History Tells the Tale About 10,000 years ago, humans occupied about 1% of the weight of vertebrates on our planet, while wild animals accounted for the other 99%.  Today, humans make up 32% of that weight, livestock makes up 67%, and wild animals– a mere 1%.  According to the World Wildlife Federation’s last report, we’ve lost 68% of all the vertebrate wildlife population.   Humans have become the single most influential species on our planet. From the time of the last ice age on Earth to about 11,500 years ago, our climate had remained more or less warm and stable.  However, for the last 11,500 years, the explosive population growth of humans and our building of modern civilizations have caused the climate to change rapidly. This period is referred to as the Holocene Epoch, which refers to the geologic time, in contrast to Anthropocene, for which the primary characteristic is the global change caused by humans. Humans have steadily used more land for agriculture to sustain a growing population since the Industrial Revolution. As a result, agriculture takes up 50% of all habitable land and is directly linked to 80% of the extinction threats. We are consuming more resources, causing more pollution, and creating habitat loss and fragmentation. Between 1970 and 2016, the wild vertebrate population declined by two-thirds. During this time, the human population has doubled. As we continue to take up more space, wildlife loses out, and habitats are lost.  The United Kingdom’s Dilemma The United Kingdom has been prime in changing the planet’s climate and causing habitat loss.  Now, this country has the lowest amount of biodiversity remaining. Before the Industrial Revolution, dense forests of oak, hazel, birch, and pine covered the UK. With the new islanders beginning to farm, those abundant forests began to give way to pasture and cultivated land. This mass farming, along with the incipient spread of factories, train lines, and urbanization has been the impetus for their loss of wildlife. As a result, the UK only has half of its biodiversity left. And because it’s an island, the footprint of humans can be more concentrated in a smaller area.  The UK Works Toward a Brighter Future Fortunately, the UK has begun several initiatives to deal with climate change and loss of habitat.  Liverpool’s Farm Urban initiative tackles land use issues with its push for urban vertical farming. North West Leicestershire has been a driving force in increasing biodiversity, enriching soil health, and improving water quality with its Rewilding Soar Valley initiative. Bristol’s Black and Green Ambassadors program is working to empower new leaders to work with diverse communities,  businesses, and organizations to work for solutions for a socially and environmentally just future. In Bolton, GM works with businesses to provide technology and innovations to create fairness and minimize biodiversity loss. Those are just a few of the initiatives the country has put in place to become more environmentally responsible and sustainable. We could all take a cue from them to do our part as well. There are several ways everyone can help minimize biodiversity and habitat loss all over the world. We can switch to eco-friendly applications. We can better control and monitor water quality. Decreasing fossil fuel use would help with global warming and habitat loss. We can buy more sustainable products. Fishing responsibly can protect aquatic habitats. We can work to prevent the spread of invasive species. We can stop deforestation and wetland destruction. We can donate to sustainable causes and charities. Conclusions We learn that we’re responsible for cleaning up our messes as children. Yet, sometime between childhood and adulthood, we forget that lesson. Now is the time to take ownership of the situation and work together to do everything possible to fix our problem before it’s too late.