Anthropocene: Geological epoch defined by atmospheric chemist Paul Crutzen to acknowledge the central role humans play in shaping the Earth's environment.…
Many aspects of the Earth have changed over the years since the start of the industrial revolution and the use of fossil fuels as the major source of energy in the developed nations of the world. Bill McKibben’s book Eaarth: Making a Life on a Tough New Planet focuses on these changes to the Earth that have been made, how the human population is going to be affected by these changes, and the new paths we have to take with agriculture and technology to survive on the new planet we created that McKibben dubbed Eaarth. The main idea of this book is to persuade the audience and help them understand that “by some measures we started too late, that the planet has changed and it will change more” (page 181) even if we immediately changed our ways…
In Chapter four of Henning’s book, he says, “Within both government and the popular media, the concept of sustainability has become the most common way of referring to the needed shift in attitudes and practices in order to address the challenge of global climate change” (Henning, 100). Sustainability has been popular talk in the world in recent years due to the amount of pollution that we make burning fossil fuels and the limited amount of fossil fuels left. This is a prime example of how humans are the ones in control of the world. Humans are the ones that have been burning the fossil fuels for our own benefit making plants work harder to change CO2 back into O2 for us to breathe and also causing a global climate change due to the amount of pollution humans have…
Simon L. Lewis and Mark. A. Maslin explore the various reasoning’s behind the proposed epoch of the Anthropocene in “Defining the Anthropocene”. They study the factors that could contribute to the referral of the present as the Anthropocene epoch, such as the periods of time in history in which the “functioning of Earth as a system” (172), has been affected due to human actions. Their goal is to “constrain the number of possible start dates [of the Anthropocene], highlight areas requiring research, and assist in moving towards an evidence based decision” (172). Lewis and Maslin use the persuasive strategies of logos by providing plenty of facts from cited sources in order to provide reasoning based on the background information on human geology. Although these rhetorical strategies are used, they do not provide a concise point on what the authors opinions are, rather simply stating facts and considering both sides of the argument without actually confirming whether they believe the epoch should be established.…
Genetically Modified Organisms, or GMOs, are organisms that have been created through the gene-splicing techniques of biotechnology Although GMOs have been around for many years, it wasn’t until just recently that people have become more concerned with them. However, many companies that produce genetically modified organisms, like Monsanto, try to make believe that the products they produce are healthy and beneficial for the environment; while that may be true first glance, lots of anti gmo activists believe that these companies scam people into believing false information. In this essay, we will uncover the pros and cons of these genetically modified organisms and ultimately, come to the conclusion that GMOs may have downfalls for humans and the environment, but are economically beneficial.…
Climate change; the gradual shift in weather patterns throughout the planet attributed to the use of fossil fuels used by humanity to make life more convenient and comfortable. People have been the stewards of the planet for roughly 200,000 years of which, the past 150 years would be classified as America’s peak industrialization, but this is a global issue and many nations have only recently begun their foray into industrialization, like China, India, Dubai, Saudi Arabia, Iran, etc.…
As a second, and soon to be third year student at Augustana College, I have already been able to immerse myself in a number of classes within my interest fields of Environmental Studies and Geography. The Anthropocene is no new topic among these classes, especially in Geography. We study the Anthropocene as a very real presence in our world and acknowledge the harmful effects on our environment occurring within this geological age. I have studied some of these effects directly in my environmental sustainability classes where we address solutions to ecological and environmental change as well as in soil science classes where I specifically researched the effect on and interaction between climate change and soils. Augustana is nestled in the heart of the Upper Mississippi Valley, so I have had many opportunities to learn and research within this region which has become a second home to me.…
In an interview in a podcast hosted by Joe Rogan, Adam Cropp a documentary film maker gives his knowledge of climate change. Cropp begins by warning us that he is uncertain about the worlds future. Informing us what climate change really means and how it is going to affect the world in the long run. Cropp states, “Climate is weather over very large scales of time.” Along with that he also informs that there is a 40-year gap in pollution. The climate change that the world is experiencing currently is from pollution caused in the eighties. That means people have not witnessed the damage they have caused through pollution. Only meaning that it is going to get worse throughout the years. This is frightening because the world will witness an increase…
Many Americans have never heard of the term “Capitalocene.” This concept is an alternative to the more commonly known idea of Anthropocene, which is essentially a term used to describe a geological epoch in which human activities have had a significant impact on Earth’s ecosystems and geological processes. This concept fails to acknowledge the importance of capitalism in our current planetary crisis. With the Anthropocene, scientists also struggle to come to a conclusion on what the major turning point is in history, to establish when human activity began to significantly alter the Earth’s natural systems. The idea of the Capitalocene helps to emphasize one particular turning point, being capitalism that has shaped the current geological epoch.…
Humanity has immensely impacted the environment both in negative and positive ways. In order to grasp the ecological crisis our Earth is experiencing we must revisit the way humans have viewed our relationship with through technological, religious and scientific lenses. The Historical Roots of Our Ecologic Crisis, an article published in the journal Science in 1967 and written by Lynn White Jr, looks back through the history and the ways in which “all forms of life modify their context” (The Historical Roots of Our Ecologic Crisis, White, Lynn…
From the reading Welcome to the Anthropocene one can infer that humans view the world through an anthropocentric eye. It is this view that most humans share about the world that has been the cause of most of the world’s environmental issues that we face today.…
Anthropocentrism is the idea that the earth and its resources exists for human consumption. People who hold the view believe that we ought to protect the earth for future generations. Anthropocentrism often focuses on fixing the problem of limited resources through the use of technology rather than a reduction in consumption. Biocentrism views animals as important beings. Stereotypically biocentrics are against harming other life forms for their own ends-many of them are vegetarians or vegans. (Agar, 2001).…
The Anthropocentrism view is the belief that humans alone have intrinsic worth or value. Simply put it means that if something promotes the wellness or interests of humankind then it is a good thing, if not than it is a bad or neutral thing. An example would be the animals in nature, which are considered good, because they provide us with entertainment, knowledge, medicines, clothing and many other things that are in the better interests of humans. However, while it may provide us with these items, it is still believed to have no actual value in itself. Only what it provides us with is actually considered to have value because it is what the human desires and therefore promotes our wellness or interests. On the other hand, let's look at a disease that affects humans and another one that affects only bears. If an epidemic was discovered that affected humans we would immediately begin studying the disease and begin working towards a cure for it. Since it is affecting humans in a negative way it is a bad thing. However, if an epidemic that affected bears alone were to be discovered we wouldn't be as quick to take evasive action. We would work on it for a few reasons such as we wouldn't have bears to hunt for fur or meat, or we would be worried that it may evolve into a strain which can be contracted by humans. So, since it a neutral thing we would help to prevent it but we would be less quick to jump to it's aide. The anthropocentrism's view on deforestation would be to use the cost benefit analysis, which is to choose the alternative that has the greater net balance of benefits over the harms or costs. If tearing down a forest would cause greater harm than it would good, or would cost more than it is worth, than the decision would be made not to do it. However, while this method may be used it still does mean they are against it or for it. What it does mean is that they as long as it produces decent results than they would be for it.…
For instance, if global warming caused icebergs to melt and polar bears lose their habitat and die; many people would be upset about it. Polar bears, to some extent, bring people pleasure who enjoy looking at them and learning about them. In this scenario, the anthropocentrist would argue that human driven global warming is unethical not because it caused harm to the polar bears, but because it caused displeasure to people. As we have discussed, however, preventing many human activities that release greenhouse gases will also cause displeasure and even compromise human…
We are poised right at the edge of some very major changes on Earth. Maybe it is indeed safe to say that we really are a geological force that's changing the planet. Within the lifetimes of today's children, scientists say, the climate could reach a state unknown in civilization. Whether we accept it or not, Climate Change is upon us.…