Anthropocene Age: The age of humans

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  Quantumrun Foresight
• December 6, 2022

Insight summary

The Anthropocene Age is the most recent epoch that suggests humans have had a significant and permanent impact on the Earth. Scientists believe this age is caused by the dramatic global population growth and the unprecedented scale of human activities that are now reshaping the planet. The long-term implications of this Age could include increased calls to treat climate change as an emergency and long-term missions to find other habitable planets.

Anthropocene Age context

The Anthropocene Age is a term that was first proposed in the 1950s, but it wasn't until the early 2000s that it started to gain traction among scientists. This concept first became popular due to the work of Paul Crutzen, a chemist at the Germany-based Max Plank Institute for Chemistry. Dr. Crutzen made significant discoveries about the ozone layer and how pollution from humans harmed it in the 1970s and 1980s—work that eventually earned him a Nobel prize.

Human-driven climate change, the widespread destruction of ecosystems, and the release of pollutants into the environment are just some of the ways humanity is leaving a permanent mark. To make matters worse, these destructive consequences of the Anthropocene Age are anticipated only to worsen. Many researchers believe that the Anthropocene warrants a new division of geological time due to the vastness of associated changes.

The proposal has gained popularity among professionals from various backgrounds, including geoscientists, archaeologists, historians, and gender studies researchers. Additionally, several museums have put on exhibitions displaying art related to the Anthropocene, deriving inspiration from it; global media sources have also widely accepted the idea. However, while the term Anthropocene is trending, it is still unofficial. A group of researchers is discussing whether to make the Anthropocene a standard geological unit and when to determine its starting point.

Disruptive impact

Urbanization has played a pivotal role in this Age. Cities, with their dense concentrations of synthetic materials like steel, glass, concrete, and brick, epitomize the conversion of natural landscapes into largely non-biodegradable urban sprawls. This shift from natural to urban environments reflects a fundamental change in the relationship between humans and their surroundings.

Technological advancements have further accelerated the impact of the Anthropocene Age. The introduction and evolution of machinery have enabled humans to extract and utilize natural resources at an unprecedented scale, contributing to their rapid depletion. This relentless resource extraction, driven by technological progress, has led to a significant reduction in Earth's natural resource reserves, altering ecosystems and landscapes. As a result, the planet faces a critical challenge: balancing the need for technological advancement with sustainable resource management. 

Human-caused climate change is evidenced by global warming and increasingly frequent and severe weather events. Simultaneously, deforestation and land degradation are leading to alarming rates of species extinction and loss of biodiversity. The oceans are not spared either, facing threats from plastic pollution to acidification. While governments have started to address these issues by reducing fossil fuel dependence and promoting renewable energy, the consensus among scientists is that these efforts are insufficient. Advancements in green technology and the development of carbon-absorbing systems offer some hope, yet there is a pressing need for more comprehensive and effective global strategies to reverse the destructive consequences of this Age.

Implications of the Anthropocene Age

Wider implications of the Anthropocene Age may include: 

• Scientists agreeing to add the Anthropocene as an official geological unit, although there still might be debates on the time range.
• Increased calls for governments to announce a climate emergency and implement drastic changes to decrease fossil fuel consumption. This movement may lead to increased street protests, particularly from the youth.
• Increased acceptance and research spending of geoengineering initiatives designed to stall or reverse the effects of climate change.
• Financial institutions and companies being called out for supporting fossil fuel businesses and being boycotted by consumers.
• Increased deforestation and depletion of marine life to support a ballooning global population. This trend may lead to more investments in agriculture technology to create more sustainable farms.
• More investments and funding for space exploration as life on Earth becomes increasingly unsustainable. These explorations will include how to establish farms in space.

Questions to consider

• What do you think are the long-lasting effects of human activity on the planet?
• How else can scientists and governments study the Anthropocene Age and create strategies to reverse the harmful effects of human civilization?