What is Anthropocene?
Anthropocene is a proposed geological era dating from the commencement of significant human impact on Earth until now
The history of earth is split into a hierarchical series of smaller sections of time, often referred as ‘the geologic time scale’. These divisions, in descending length of time, are called eons, periods, eras, ages and epochs.
Anthropocene Epoch is an unofficial unit of geologic time. it is used to outline the most latest period in Earth’s history where human activity started and where it began to have a major impression on the planet’s climate and ecosystems. The word Anthropocene is obtained from the Greek words anthropo, which stands for “man,” and cene which stands for “new,”. This was coined and made by the popular biologist Eugene Stormer and chemist Paul Crutzen in 2000.
There is a known theory that states that all of this began at the beginning of the industrial revolution of the 1800s, where the humans activity had significant impact on carbon and methane in the earths atmosphere.
However, others think that the actual beginning of Anthropocene was in 1945. This era was when humans tested the first ever atomic bomb and then proceeded to drop atomic bombs in the Hiroshima and Nagasaki, japan. This dangerous act, resulted in radioactive particles that were detected in soil samples, globally!
How and why are photographers exploring this concept?
Many photographer explore Anthropocene because its almost like a meeting point. It makes photographer stop, rethink and overcome the separation between the environment and humanity. It reflects this climate urgency which produced awareness to the environment and responsibility towards the planet that holds us and that we inhabit.
What are the 4 causes of the Anthropocene?
- Agriculture: encompasses crop and livestock production, aquaculture, fisheries, and forestry for food and non-food products.
- Urbanisation: the process of making an area more urban.
- Deforestation :the purposeful clearing of forested land.
- pollution: the introduction of harmful materials into the environment
Consequences of the Anthropocene:
- habitat loss
- global warming
- animal extinctions
- changes in the chemical compositions of the atmosphere, oceans and soil.
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