BHP Lesson 39: The Anthropocene

Humans have become the dominant species on the planet. Have our actions been overall more positive or more negative?
 

Driving Question: To what extent has the Anthropocene been positive?

  • For most of the past 10,000 years or so, the biosphere has been a fairly stable and predictable place. Whether you look at temperature, types of vegetation, soils, or sea level, the basic characteristics of the biosphere have remained about the same, showing only moderate variation. As a result, geologists have labeled the last 10,000 years of geological history as the Holocene Epoch, beginning at the end of the last ice age. However, there are a number of scientists who have looked at the data from the past 250 years and concluded that the biosphere has some fundamental changes that distinguish it from the previous 10,000 years. The rise of carbon dioxide levels, glacial melting, and the shrinking of the tropical rainforests are just a few pieces of evidence that they cite as proof that we’ve entered a new epoch. Because so many of these changes can be traced to human activity, these scientists propose this new epoch be called the Anthropocene. 

Word of the Day: Anthropocene

  • Definition: A new era during which the human species have become the dominant force for change in the biosphere. 
  • The Anthropocene is the age of humans. Our global domination as a species began at about the time of the Industrial Revolution, nearly 250 years ago. Our ability to harness new resources led to exponential population growth and powerful global trade networks. We’ve caused mass extinctions of plants and animals, polluted the oceans, and altered the atmosphere. 

Lesson

  • Go to Khan Academy and watch the Crash Course video, The Anthropocene and the Near Future.
  • In history, we often look at what’s happened in the distant past, but we also have to understand our recent past and how that impacts where we are right now. As you watch, listen for the positive and negative characteristics of the Anthropocene. It might be helpful to divide your paper in half and construct a T-chart. To what extent was the Anthropocene positive?

Historian’s Journal Prompt

  • What impact will population growth have on the future of the Anthropocene?
  • Fast population growth is expected to continue through the end of the century. Most experts put the final planet population somewhere around 11 billion. What impact will this growth have on the planet? How might societies around the globe be affected differently?
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