The history of our planet has been divided into tiny sections of time, and this is called geologic time. Depending on many factors within a specific period, these sections are called eons, eras, periods, epochs, and age. What we now live in is officially called the Holocene (meaning “entirely recent”), an epoch that began more than 11,000 years ago after the last major Ice Age. However, for decades now, many scientists have been calling for a specific name to be given to the epoch that begins mid-20th Century. A name that will sum up how intensely and singularly we humans have altered our planet – Anthropocene (anthropo meaning “human” and cene, “new”). Mid-century was chosen because that’s when the first atomic bomb exploaded leaving behind radioactive debris in sediments and glacial ice, “becoming part of the geologic record”. While we do not know if Anthropocene will be officially accepted and adopted, what we can be sure of is that our actions are directly responsible for how the Earth is today. In fact, we’re in the midst of the sixth mass extinction – the first one for which humans are to blame! But many are still hopeful that we can work collectively to save the planet despite the window of opportunity closing really fast.

 

Picture Credit : Google