Anthropocene

• Leer en español Are we really living in the Anthropocene, the geological time marked by the global impact of human activity?
• What makes this site so special that it holds the dividing line between different geological epochs?

The footprint of the Great Acceleration

• These studies have concluded that the Anthropocene is significant on a geologic scale because of the rapidity and magnitude of recent human impacts on processes operating on the Earth’s surface.
• Many of these impacts have generated irreversible changes that exceed the small range of natural variability of the Holocene, which began 11,700 years ago.

Finding the ‘golden spike’

• Over the years, the Anthropocene Working Group has mostly agreed that the Anthropocene is geologically real and should be formalized as an independent unit within the international scale of geologic time.
• Its onset would be in the mid-20th century, in the 1950s, according to the global signals recorded in sediments since then.

Selection criteria

• Twelve detailed proposals were initially submitted for different geological sections that could host this GSSP, located on five continents and situated in eight different geological environments.
• All of them were published in 2023 in the scientific journal Anthropocene Review.
• These papers were the main source of information for the voting members of the Anthropocene Working Group during the selection process.

And the winner is …

• According to the results, the most relevant geological sections were located in Beppu Bay, Japan; Sihailongwan Lake, China; and Crawford Lake.
• After a detailed analysis of the nature of their plutonium signal and a new vote, the Chinese and Canadian lake sites were finalists.
• In the end, Crawford Lake received 61% of the votes and was chosen as the site of the GSSP for the Anthropocene epoch.

Farewell to the Holocene

• Formalizing it precisely will help determine its meaning and use in all sciences and other academic disciplines.
• The end of a relatively stable epoch in Earth’s history, the Holocene, will thus be recognized.

• A warm, dry spring allowed the tinder to accumulate and lightning storms in early June lit the match, dramatically escalating 2023’s fire season.
• Canadian scientists warned about the role of climate change in fuelling wildfires in 2019.
• Climate change may not cause fires, but it does significantly increase the likelihood they will occur and, globally, wildfires are expected to increase by 50% this century.

The broader consequences of climate change

• Climate change threatens to widen inequalities within and between countries.
• This is because poorer people are typically more exposed to the effects of climate change and more vulnerable to harm as a result of them.
• Climate change is also expected to increase migration.
• Finally, climate change is expected to heighten the risk of conflict and violence.

Authoritarian populism

• Right-wing politicians have successfully exploited the narrative around these issues which climate change is inflaming: immigration, economic inequality and global insecurity.
• The absence of a global consciousness and a willingness to cooperate, which is inherent to this politics, would make maintaining a safe climate almost impossible.

The freedom that’s left

• One reason is that there is some evidence that experiencing extreme weather increases support for climate action.
• So the effects of climate change may not just push people away from an appropriate political response.
• Researchers suggest that poverty and inequality are more important drivers of conflict and migration than climate change.
• Nonetheless, understanding how climate change may indirectly influence politics is crucial to finding a politics appropriate to the challenges we face.

• Every now and then, though, new study findings about the surprising intelligence of other animals reignite this debate.
• In their article, the authors say we should stop approaching animal consciousness as a “do they/don’t they?” question.
• Rather, they suggest we should measure nonhuman consciousness on a spectrum alongside human consciousness.

A different take

• For example, the Glasgow coma scale measures the expectation that a patient will regain consciousness, rather than defining its presence or absence.
• Neurologists can’t agree on what part of the brain consciousness is generated in – yet we try to measure it in nonhuman animals.
• This implies that many nonhuman animals require no ethical consideration at all when it comes to their welfare.
• Studying animal consciousness can help us empathise with nonhuman animals, but it can also help people avoid grappling with the ethics of animal testing.

A whole new world

• Their bodies are not a separate thing controlled by a brain or central nervous system.
• So, measuring consciousness using a central nervous system like ours may lead us to believe they do not have pain capacity or even sentience.
• For example, the female mole has an ovoteste and, outside of mating season, behaves like a male.
• Viewing them and other animals as “lesser” versions of ourselves denies the rich and complex diversity of the animal kingdom.

• WASHINGTON, Jan. 25, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Today, the National Geographic Society has appointed Nigerian curator, thinker and visionary Azu Nwagbogu as a National Geographic Explorer at Large.
• As an Explorer at Large, Nwagbogu will serve as an ambassador for the National Geographic Society and receive support to continue his storytelling work across Africa and globally.
• The National Geographic Explorer at Large title is bestowed on a select few global changemakers.
• "As an organization grounded in storytelling, we could not be more thrilled to name Azu to this role," said Jill Tiefenthaler, Chief Executive Officer, National Geographic Society.