If I was the International Committee on Stratigraphy, I would vote to adopt the Anthropocene epoch because after reading Steffen, Kolbert, and Malm articles, I think that Humans have done enough to this world to add it to the geologic time scale. “The pressure on the global environment from this burgeoning human enterprise is intensifying sharply. Over the past 50 years, humans have changed the world’s ecosystems more rapidly and extensively than in any other comparable period in human history.” (Steffen, pg. 617) I agree with Steffen’s comment because the Earths climate has dramatically changed within the last 50 years because of our loose and none existent regulations before the 21st century on mining and green house productions. If we do not try to clean up our act within the next 50 years, this Earth is really going to suffer and because of that we are responsible for destroying our only home. Therefore, I would vote to adopt the Anthropocene epoch because if we don’t take action as soon as possible, life changing consequences are coming in our lifetime.
Your ideas on climate change can be formed by the social group that you identify in because people want to fit in within their social setting. If you live in certain social setting that doesn’t believe in climate change, you are most likely not going to believe in climate change because your social group doesn’t believe in it. Dr. Cathy Whitlock explained to us that Montanans need to think about climate change in a more local mindset and view. In her experiences, she said that it is way easier to explain climate change in a local setting because Montanans like to think local. I think we need to show the facts of climate change to a larger population and make it easy to understand. I never really saw how dangerously close we are to ruining this earth until I came to college, which not a lot of people get the opportunity to go to.
3 thoughts on “The New Epoch”
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I completely agree that the Anthropocene should be adopted and accepted for the name of the new epoch. I differ a little because I think that the Anthropocene should begin at the beginning of the 19th Century when the Industrial Revolution started because humans had not burned coal for energy at such a large amount before. I also agree that in the past fifty years, the coal production and consumption, and burning of other fossil fuels had greatly contributed to the negative effects of climate change on our Earth. There is clearly a much bigger consumption of coal in the past two hundred years than there was from around 1200 CE-1799 CE. I think that you made a great point in stating that the information about climate change should be easier to obtain and that younger people should be taught about the effects more in order to sustain Earth.
Hi Kaylor!
I agree with your idea about humans having done enough to the Earth that the Anthropocene be added. I think due to species of plants and animals being found in much different areas of the world than ever before, it is safe to say there is reason to name a new geologic epoch. I think the Anthropocene should be started now though since this is when we are really seeing those changes in the wild. Even though the atmospheric makeup changed long ago, now is when we are starting to see the true effects of that difference. I agree with your point that climate science and knowledge should be more readily available. I never really though about college being the place where I have learned the most about climate change but it definitely has been. Great post!
I agree with you that accepting the Anthropocene epoch is going to eventually happen here in the near future. But you talked about how climate change is having such large impacts and the call for action in order to minimize damage in the next 50 years. Do you think that accepting the Anthropocene will have an effect on climate change and the action being taken? I am afraid that even if it is accepted we will still have politicians and capitalists ignoring the issue or withholding from action. Anyways, hopefully the opposite happens!