Anthropocene - A Pretty Darn Recent Word
Anthropocene is a pretty darn recent word. That’s because humans haven’t had the impact on the environment that they do now until pretty darn recently. And it’s pretty darn depressing. In fact, it’s my most depressing topic of contemplation and conversation next to death and disease. The Anthropocene epoch is a term popularized by scientists in the 1980s to represent a new geological epoch based on the huge environmental impact we, the homo sapiens species, have had on this the planet. Its recognition would put an end to the Holocene epoch, the epoch we normally consider ourselves to be in but scientists argue is fast disappearing. The level of atmospheric C0 2 has increased about 40% since the mid-18 th century, glaciers and a ready supply or fresh water are disappearing, the disintegration of coral reefs, perilously reduced fish stocks, the extinction of species between 1000 and 10,000 faster than the natural rate, massive deforestatio...