The Power of Humans: The Anthropocene

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In producing the energy over the past few centuries humans have altered the Earth; from atmospheric warming to layers of plastic being added to geologies. This has prompted the term Anthropocene. Such is humans impact on the Earth we have potentially created a new geological epoch. The term was originally coined by Paul Crutzen, and a history of its use is provided by National Geographic.

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Crutzen's Geology of Mankind indicates the Anthropocene started three centuries ago supplementing the current the Holocene - the epoch of the last 10,000-12,000years. There are alternative views, with William Ruddiman suggesting that the anthropocene started 8000years ago with mass deforestation. However, Crutzen's depiction of the Anthropocene is more widely accepted, and is summarised in this extract:

"During the past three centuries, the human population has increased tenfold to more than 6 billion and is expected to reach 10 billion in this century. The methane-producing cattle population has risen to 1.4 billion. About 30–50% of the planet's land surface is exploited by humans. Tropical rainforests disappear at a fast pace, releasing carbon dioxide and strongly increasing species extinction. Dam building and river diversion have become commonplace. More than half of all accessible fresh water is used by mankind. Fisheries remove more than 25% of the primary production in upwelling ocean regions and 35% in the temperate continental shelf. Energy use has grown 16-fold during the twentieth century, causing 160 million tonnes of atmospheric sulphur dioxide emissions per year, more than twice the sum of its natural emissions. More nitrogen fertilizer is applied in agriculture than is fixed naturally in all terrestrial ecosystems; nitric oxide production by the burning of fossil fuel and biomass also overrides natural emissions. Fossil-fuel burning and agriculture have caused substantial increases in the concentrations of 'greenhouse' gases — carbon dioxide by 30% and methane by more than 100% — reaching their highest levels over the past 400 millennia, with more to follow."

Humans have already had a massive impact on the Earth, and when investing in future electricity production we need to consider the extent to which we alter the Earth's natural state, and the consequences of it.