Generation Anthropocene: How humans have altered the planet for ever

http://www.theguardian.com/books/2016/apr/01/generation-anthropocene-altered-planet-for-ever

by tintinnabula • 10 years ago

12 8 10 years ago

atemerev3• 10 years ago

Humans are different from other animals in that they adapt their environment to their optimal living conditions, instead of adapting themselves to their environment.

I don't see how this is a bad thing.

jeffsco• 10 years ago

This seems similar to saying to a drowning person, "I don't see how water is a bad thing."

atemerev3• 10 years ago

No, it isn't.

givan• 10 years ago

How is pollution, deforestation, increased ocean acidity and reduced biodiversity optimal conditions? maybe the consequences still seem low now but as these increase in the future you will better see the proportion of the disaster but then it will be too late.

atemerev3• 10 years ago

This is why a lot of modern research is focused on geoengineering and repairing the environment. Iron seeding to counter global warming, etc.

We even protect wild animals because we want to see the environment where animals thrive for our own pleasure.

pvaldes• 10 years ago

We are not unique in this sense. There are lots of animals that do the same: Beavers, Termites, Bees...

EliRivers• 10 years ago

I suspect it is a bad thing because it turns out we were pretty bad at it and we're going to experience a number of non-optimal situations as a consequence.

grondilu• 10 years ago

I personally think we should not talk about Anthropocene, but rather of an "anthropic crisis" or "Holocene crisis", like other crises in paleontology (oxygen crisis, messinian crisis...)

We just have too little visibility to consider how the current state of the world will perdure in the long term. It can only be a transition phase, an event, not a period.

Generation Anthropocene: How humans have altered the planet for ever

Related Stories