Early conventional wisdom placed the Earth as the center of the Universe. As our knowledge grew, we realized that humans were only a small speck in the universe. But our effect on the planet has become so profound, many scientists new believe we are entering a new epoch of time, a time they call the Anthropocene Epoch, meaning “New Man”.
We have cut down much of the earth’s forests, using the wood to build and heat our homes. Trees that once stored carbon are gone. We’ve modified our rivers and lakes so much that many are so polluted only the most adaptable plants and animals can survive. We have pulled so much water from ground water supplies that lakes, rivers and aquifers are shrinking and drying up. We’ve taken so much coal, oil and natural gas out of the earth and set by-products into the atmosphere where they combine with water particles and return to the earth far from its source in the form of acid rain. We have also sent so much carbon dioxide into the atmosphere that the earth is getting warmer.
Even the vast oceans are showing signs of human existence. The water in the ocean is becoming more acidic due to high pollution levels, changing the most basic level in the ocean’s complicated food chain.. Water levels are also rising as the Arctic ice caps melt, threatening coastal areas and increasing the frequency and intensity of storms.
The most talked about human-induced change to the planet is global warming. Carbon that was naturally deposited into the earth over millions of years is being returned in less than 200 years. And while we focus on the carbon cycle, the nitrogen cycle is ignored. Over 40% of the nitrogen in the protein we eat today comes from artificial fertilizer, allowing farmers to grow enough food for our expanding population. Unfortunately much of the excess fertilizer makes its way as runoff into our waterways. Nitrogen feeds thousands of toxic algal blooms, pulling oxygen out of many aquatic systems and leads to dead zones so large they are visible from space.
Today it is difficult to find an area of the planet not modified by human existence. From pristine Arctic lakes to the most inhabitable deserts, human have had affected all the earth’s ecosystems. Conventional wisdom is again changing, and we are at the center of the changes to our planet.
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