The Community Word

What do an asteroid, a giant volcano, and an electric hair dryer have in common? Each can be associated with cataclysmic events in Earth’s history that mark the end or beginning of significant stages in evolution or planetary development. At least that seems to be what Paul Crutzen is implying. The Nobel Laureate has suggested that we are now in a brand new geologic age he calls the “Anthropocene,” characterized by human activities and influences.

According to Crutzen, our species has so impacted the planet that we have brought about an end to Earth’s most recent Geologic Epoch, a 12 thousand year interglacial time span known as the Holocene, and have started a whole new one. In February 08, an international team of Geologists agreed. They believe that humankind has now caused the end to one epoch of Earth’s history and marked the start of another. This is a monumental accomplishment when considering the vast planetary scope of the science of geology, and our almost viral smallness when compared to the entire planet, though it’s not an accomplishment of which to be particularly proud.

Changes in Geologic epochs are often brought about by major catastrophes such as an asteroid impact; for example, the one that ended the Cretaceous, and caused the extinction of dinosaurs, some 65 and a half million years ago; or extensive volcanic activity that likely characterized the end of the Permian Period some 250 million years ago, in which over 90 percent of life became extinct. At that time there was enough carbon dioxide released to raise the average temperature 6 degrees Celsius. Toxic gasses, ozone destruction, and ultraviolet radiation conspired to exacerbate the problem.

We’ve impacted the planet by “being fruitful and multiplying” to such an extent that we are a hundred times more numerous than any animal ever of comparable size. Our population is now at six and a half billion and has shown no sign of leveling off. In just 12 years we will add a billion more. Everyone uses fuel, impacts habitats directly or indirectly, and together we release vast amounts of carbon dioxide. The resulting species loss from habitat destruction, and global warming from atmospheric pollution characterize the “Anthropocene.” It’s clearly not sustainable.

The Geologic Time Scale is immense. For example, in the past 4 and a half billion years, life has appeared and thrived on Earth. In this time, both life and the planet have undergone amazing changes. These changes are organized into various periods of transition identified as eons, epochs, eras, and periods. These transitional phases help place Earth’s history into meaningful perspective and are separated by cataclysmic events such as asteroid impacts or extensive volcanic activity. The resulting story is written in the rocks and is there to be read and interpreted, providing a glimpse into the dynamics of the planet and the amazing adaptability of life, within the immense abyss of time.

It is in this sedimentary saga that we gain insight into the depths of our own primordial beginnings and come to understand and appreciate our ultimate present day dominance of Planet Earth, along with both the positive and negative consequences. This casts light on the all important context of the global warming dilemma in which we find ourselves today.

There is a quote attributed to Chief Seattle, which poetically interprets this dilemma: “Will you teach your children what we have taught our children? That the earth is our mother? What befalls the earth befalls all the sons of the earth. This we know: the earth does not belong to man, man belongs to the earth. All things are connected like the blood that unites us all. Man did not weave the web of life, he is merely a strand in it. Whatever he does to the web, he does to himself.”

Seattle points out that the Earth is our mother. The scientific view of this is interpreted nicely by Paleontologist, Neil Shubin, who takes you back through some 3.5 billion years of history of the human body in his new book, “Your Inner Fish.” It’s a fascinating journey and paints a detailed picture of evolution showing our intimate connections to the planet and to the life around us.

For example: within the lobed fins of a primitive fish are found the bones that comprise the template from which arise not only the wings of bats, and legs of horses, but also human arms and legs. The comparative anatomy and genome map provide an increasingly clear picture of exactly how we are not just on this Earth, but of it, as well.

But what about the hair dryer? It simply represents our many uses for electricity. Of all the contributors of carbon dioxide to the atmosphere, from automobiles to home heating, none is more significant than coal fired electric generating plants. The United States currently uses more electric power than anybody else in the world… from lights to toasters to TV’s to hair dryers. In just a couple centuries human activities have managed to increase carbon dioxide in the atmosphere from 275 parts per million to 383 parts per million and it’s still rising, along with our population.

The solutions to this dilemma are simple: consume less; recycle more; reduce pollution; reduce our population to a level that is sustainable; and restore Earth’s depleted ecosystems. But can we do it? The future of our species, along with most others depends on it.

According to Dr Andrew Gale, School of Earth and Environmental Sciences, University of Portsmouth, “Human activity has become the number one driver of most of the major changes in Earth’s topography and climate. You can’t have 6.5 billion people living on a planet the size of ours and exploiting every possible resource without creating huge changes in the physical, chemical and biological environment which will be reflected dramatically in our geological record of the planet.”

Today’s sediments will be tomorrow’s rocks. Will there be geologists around to interpret our story written in those rocks?