Anthropocene is a proposed name for the current geological epoch, which describes the impact that humankind has had on the planet. “Anthropocene”, derived from the Greek words anthropo for “man” and cene for “new”, translates to “recent age of man”. The name of our current geological epoch, the Holocene, is being criticized by a growing number of scientists as being outdated and inadequately describes the impact humans have had on the environment, such as the pollution of oceans and of the atmosphere, the mass extinction of plant and animal species and other lasting effects (Stromberg 2013).
Human effects on the environment are widespread. Between Agriculture, the damming of rivers and mining, humans are stripping away sediment at 10 times the natural rate of erosion. The burning of fossil fuels has acidified the oceans because of increased levels of CO2 and the nutrients from fertilizers are creating “dead-zones” along coastlines (Monsastersky 2015). Earth’s increasing population, the industrialization of agricultural processes and globalization have only made things worse. Between cultivation and raising livestock, It is estimated that humans have converted nearly two-fifths of the Earth’s landmass for agriculture (Rafferty 2009).
Scientists disagree about the timeline for this new era. While some believe the era should begin with the invention of agriculture, most say it should begin after the industrial revolution. Since the determination of these eras are decided by examining geological markers in the Earth’s rock strata, geologists believe that if there is going to be a new era, it would start with the nuclear age. Nuclear testing, along with plastics, concrete, artificial fertilizers and leaded petroleum have all left the necessary evidence in the Earth’s sediment (Monastersky 2015).
In the novel Oryx and Crake, Margaret Atwood warns of a catastrophic future, destroyed by unchecked corporate greed and technology run amok. She explores the selfish attitude that humans have about manipulating nature to sustain their lifestyles. In Atwood’s world, the commodification of nature led to the destruction of their cloud forests, genetic manipulation of animals would eventually introduce new predators to the ecology, and the desire for humans to remain youthful led to massive amounts of inequality. By using this apocalyptical imagery in her portrayal of a world in which parallels to our own can be seen, she makes an appeal for us to discard “fake joy” and “to prevent technology from robbing the natural world and civilization” (Bhalla 2014).
Works cited:
- Bhalla, Ambika, Bhangu, J.P.K. and Singh, Manmohan. “Margaret Atwood’s Oryx and Crake: An Ecocritical Approach” International Journal of Research, November 2014, edupediapublications.org
- Monastersky, Richard. “Anthropocene: The Human Age” Nature, Nature, 14 March 2015, http://www.nature.com/news/anthropocene-the-human-age-1.17085?WT.ec_id=NATURE-20150312
- Rafferty, John P. “Anthropocene Epoch” Encyclopedia Britannica, Encyclopedia Britannica, 23 February 2009, https://www.britannica.com/science/Anthropocene-Epoch
- Stromberg, Joseph. “What Is The Anthropocene And Are We In It?” Smithsonian.com, Smithsonian.com, January 2013, https://www.smithsonianmag.com/science-nature/what-is-the-anthropocene-and-are-we-in-it-164801414/
