ANTHROPOCENE

INTERACTING WITH THE ENVIRONMENT

BY

ANIKET MUKHERJEE

(IMTH 9TH SEMESTER)

Paul Crutzen (2000)

Naming the Anthropocene

Paul Crutzen, who had shared the Nobel

Prize for Chemistry in 1995 for his

observation of the depletion of the

atmospheric ozone layer over Antarctica,

declared that so extensive has been the

damage to the biosphere caused by human

activities since the industrial transition, that

the present interglacial era, hitherto named

the Holocene, should be re-named the

Anthropocene

DEFINING THE ANTHROPOCENE

A period marked by a regime change in the activity of industrial societies which began at the turn of the nineteenth century and which has caused global disruptions in the Earth System on a scale unprecedented in human history: climate change, biodiversity loss, pollution of the sea, land and air, resources depletion, land cover degradation, radical transformation of the biosphere and the geosphere. These phenomena call for a paradigm shift in the way we frame our worldviews, and the methods we practice in our inhabitation of the planet.

A Brief Timeline Of Human History

LIFESTYLE TIME PERIOD (in yrs.)

Hunter-Gatherers > 200,000

Agriculture (Holocene) > 10,000

Cities > 5,000

Fossil-fuelled Industry (Anthropocene) > 250

Information Technology > 50

Sustainoncene (???) > 25

Holocene: Pre-Anthropocene

The Agricultural Revolution set into motion the

drive of humans to bend nature to their will.

Domestication, Deforestations, and the pseudo-

invention of fire. All these factors aided in this

endeavour, though at a very local or regional

level.

The Invention of Writing, led to ‘Knowledge

Accumulation’ and ‘Social Learning’; and is

considered to be an important catalytic

process.

Anthropocene- I (1800-1945)The Industrial Revolution

The technology for the Anthropocene was launched by

Scottish engineer James Watt, who invented the first effective

coal-driven steam engine in 1754, which progressively

replaced muscle power in factories.

To facilitate transport of goods and people, George

Stephenson in 1829 invented the first workable steam

locomotive, named The Rocket

The expansion of economic society. Demography becomes a

secondary appendage to economic growth

Human population expands from about 750 million to about

2.5 billion. The first global population explosion

Anthropocene II (1945- Present )

Age of Acceleration

Soon after World War II, in 1950 with the USA as its epicenter the most rapid and pervasive shift in the human-environment relationship began, coinciding with the advent of the USA as a world military, economic, and cultural power.

Human population doubled in 50yrs, to 6 billion by the end of the 20th century. Global Economy multiplied 15-fold. By the advent of the 21st century, 50% of the population was living in urban areas.

Anthropocene III ( Present - Near

Future)Sustainocene We are currently standing at a sort of crossroads.

The one species that emerged from nature, to

becoming virtual masters of it.

We have come a long way, from cowering on hearing

rumbling thunder and flashing lightning; to discussing

ways on harnessing nature to fulfil our energy needs, on

a global-scale.

We have become a geo-physical force, battling the

forces of nature to establish our mastery over them.

Continued…….

Human-induced change raises disturbing questions

about the future of Earth and the environmental services

that support human civilization.

“The Earth is rapidly moving into a less biologically

diverse, less forested, much warmer, and probably

wetter and stormier state.”

According to a growing section of environmentalists, it is

high time the current environmental model of ‘only

protection and preservation’ is overhauled by more

comprehensive ‘management model’

On the global scale during the post-glacial era of the Holocene, the earth’s atmosphere maintained its average of

surface and oceanic temperatures relatively stable at around 14C through the trapping of the sun’s infra-red heat by

so-called greenhouse gases (GHGs), which make life on our planet possible. This mechanism was first proposed by

the French mathematician Fourier, by the English scientist Tindal and organized on a scientific basis by Swedish

physicist and chemist Svante Arrhenius (1859- 1927)

Svante Arrhenius (1896)

Greenhouse gases

Characteristics of The

Anthropocene

Huge prevalent nutrition gap.

Excessive sugar intake….. Leading to obesity… and other

related disorders

Homo sedentarius

Species extinction, Ocean Acidification, Global Pollution

and Warming, Ozone Layer Depletion, Peak Fish and

Peak Oil.

Continued Deforestation

Neglecting both the potential in renewable energy

sources and sustainable housing and agricultural

practices

Impacts on Human Health

Advantages:

1) Decreased maternal deaths. Double life expectancy.

2) Generally improved material living standards and improvements

in public health and medical care

Disadvantages:

1) Epidemics, Emerging and Re-emerging infectious diseases,

Antibiotic resistance

2) Increasing cases of chronic alcohol and drug abuse

3) Perceived social and mental disorders, Emergence of new

cancer types

Impacts on Global Health

Extreme weather events; Polar Vortexes;

Hyperthermia; Habitat Loss

Emergence of both vector-borne and

water-borne diseases. Antibiotic

resistance.

Economic collapse; The Great Recession;

Resource Wars.

Olduvai Theory of

Industrialisation

The rush for oil extraction and fossil fuel usage, starting with James Watts’ invention of the steam engine, and plunges when the oil reserves drop to 37%. This prediction is the most extreme one, but not altogether impossible.

Peak Oil

c. 1930 c. 2025

Pre-Industrial Phase [c. 3,000,000 BC to 1765]

A = Tool making begins (c. 3,000,000 BC)

B = Fire use begins (c. 1,000,000 BC)

C = Neolithic Agricultural Revolution (c. 8,000 BC)

D = Watt's steam engine, 1765

Interval D-E is a transition period.

Current Scenario in Brief

Research is ongoing, particularly on

“interdisciplinary work on human-environment

systems”

The emergence of The Internet as “a global self-

organizing information system”

Democratic political systems and the

emergence of sustainable civil societies.

The spread of free and open societies.

Road to The Future

There are three ways by which the problems that

have arisen in the Anthropocene, can be

tackled:

1) Business-as-usual

2) Mitigation

3) Geo-engineering

A fourth option still under consideration is Social

Ecology and the concept of Re-inhabitation.

‘Business-As-Usual’ Scenario

This model makes certain assumptions like:

Human-driven changes do not disrupt global economy and societies.

The ‘market-oriented’ economic system can adapt quickly to the rapidly changing conditions

Resources are still plentiful enough to mitigate the damage already done, without significantly making any changes.

Potential Risks

The long-term momentum built into the Earth System means that:

By the time humans realize that a business-as-usual approach may not work;

The world will be committed to further decades or even centuries of environmental change.

Collapse of modern, globalized society under uncontrollable environmental change is the one highly likely outcome.

Mitigation Scenario

Improved technology and social organization

Wiser use of resources

Control of human and animal population

Conservation and restoration of the environment

Continued…..

Mitigation is currently the preferred option, as it does not

require a drastic overhaul of the entire global economic

system, but the one crucial factor in this particular scenario is

‘ENERGY’

In addition to the many opportunities for energy

conservation, numerous technologies, from solar thermal and

photovoltaic through nuclear fission and fusion to wind power

and biofuels from forests and crops, are available now or are

under development to replace fossil fuels.

Another factor which is stressed upon is dematerialisation. To

do more with less.

Geo-engineering Scenario

The main objective of this scenario is the

sequestering of Carbon dioxide in underground

reservoirs, and the controlled release of aerosols

into the stratosphere to reflect the sun’s rays.

But this scenario carries the huge risk of

‘unintended consequences’. The ethical

debates that are raging at the moment

mentions that the cures just might be worse than

the disease.

Sustainocene- Hoping for the future

From 19th century of ancient, dirty, non-renewable solar CAPITAL

To 21st century of clean renewable solar CURRENCY:

Local: Building design and operation (insulation, solar hot water, photovoltaics), biofuels

Central: Solar Thermal Electricity (STE): covering 0.5% of deserts with mirrors focused on turbines would meet all electricity needs. Also geothermal; wind; waves; tides

Continued……

Transport: From road to rail, from air to wind-assisted ships; hybrid cars; biofuels from algae and crop wastes, not from food crops or palm oil from cleared forests; Solar or wind - generated H2 in fuel cells

Agriculture: Cease land clearing; move to organic agriculture for better water retention, less pesticides, herbicides; local food production to reduce transport costs

Health: Equity of resources; healthy nutrition; more use of muscle power; adaptation to inevitable global warming.

Anthropocene v/s Sustainocene

(The Five "Ps")

POPULATION

POVERTY

POLLUTION

PROFIT

PREPARATION FOR WARFARE

(The Four "Es")

ENLIGHTENMENT

ECOLOGY

EDUCATION

ETHICS

The ABC of Enlightenment

Awe

Beauty

Caritas

CONCLUSION

I conclude by stating that at this point of time, we are at a tipping point, it does not matter what the next epoch is named. Rather what we do in this epoch that will decide where our world would go from here-on. Will we fulfil the direst of scientific predictions or will we be finally be at peace with the evolving planet, that is our only home, is a question that still remains to be answered.

THANK YOUWe have to save this

planet - It's the only one

with chocolate!