1. THE ANTHROPOCENE
WHAT IS THAT?!
BETTY IERONIMAKI (Γ2)
MARCH 2017
2ND EXPERIMENTAL JUNIOR HIGH SCHOOL OF ATHENS
TEACHER: DIMITRA DERTILI
2. Definition
If we want to define the word “Anthropocene", we’ll have to analyze it;
Its prefix ”anthropo-” derives from the greek word “Anthropos” (άνθρωπος) which
means “human”.
Its suffix “-cene” is also greek since it comes from the word “kainos” (καινός) that
means “new". In addition, it is a typical suffix for "epoch" in geologic time.
Anthropocene
Anthropo- -cene
3. Definition
Having this information in mind, we could say that the
Anthropocene is the era of mankind, the period in which
humans dominate but also the new age of man.9
4. But when did we enter the Anthropocene?
The Anthropocene, as we have already said, is the story of how one
species, mankind, changed the Earth.
This chapter of our story begins in England 250 years ago(1750-1800),
that is, from the start of the Industrial revolution.
However, it has to be mentioned that this term we are talking about has
not been officially approved by the scientific field (at least not
yet).Officially, the era we are going through is the Holocene. But a
group of scientists believe that the next big boundary marker between
epochs is happening right now. Caused not by a giant rock from space
or scouring ice sheets — but by people.
5. Industrial revolution(how it all began)
The Industrial Revolution, in modern history, is the process of change from an agrarian, handicraft economy
to one dominated by industry and machine manufacture. This process began in Britain in the 18th century and
from there spread to other parts of the world. Although used earlier by French writers, the term Industrial
Revolution was first widely used by the English economic historian Arnold Toynbee (1852–83) to describe
Britain’s economic development from 1760 to 1840.
6. The changes over the course of the industrial revolution
(1) the use of new basic materials, mainly iron and steel
(2) the use of new energy sources, including both fuels and motive power, such as coal, the
steam engine, electricity, petroleum, and the internal-combustion engine
(3) the invention of new machines, such as the spinning jenny and the power loom that
permitted increased production with a smaller waste of human energy
(4) a new organization of work known as the factory system, which involved increased division
of labor and specialization of function
(5) important developments in transportation and communication, including the steam
locomotive, steamship, automobile, airplane, telegraph, and radio
(6) the increasing application of science to industry. These technological changes made
possible a tremendously increased use of natural resources and the mass production of
manufactured goods
7. Indicators of the Antropocene
1. The usage of nuclear weapons
Our war efforts have left their mark on geology. When the first nuclear weapon was detonated
on 16 July 1945 in New Mexico, it deposited radionuclides – atoms with excess nuclear energy
– across a wide area. Since 1952, more explosive thermonuclear weapons have been tested,
leaving a global signature of isotopes such as carbon-14 and plutonium-239
2. Fossil fuels
The products of burning fossil fuels will also be an obvious giveaway of the Anthropocene.
Current rates of carbon emission are thought to be higher than at any other time in the last 65
million years
3. New materials
One of the biggest signs of our time will be the presence of three things we use every day:
concrete, plastics and aluminium.
8. 4. Changed geology
Every time we destroy a patch of rainforest, this changes the future of Earth’s geology. So far, we have
transformed more than 50 per cent of the Earth’s land area for our own purposes
5. Fertilizers
Levels of nitrogen and phosphorus in soils have doubled in the last century because of our increased use of
fertilizers. Human activity has had perhaps the biggest impact on the nitrogen cycle for 2.5 billion years,
increasing the amount of reactive nitrogen by 120 per cent compared to the Holocene.
6. Global warming
The planet's temperature is rising. This is because we are overloading our atmosphere with carbon dioxide,
which traps heat and steadily drives up the planet’s temperature.
7. Mass extinction
For as long as life has existed, organisms have gone extinct, but mass extinctions sparked by massive global
changes mark the end and beginning of several geological periods
9. Conclusion
To conclude, it is obvious that the accomplishments of the industrial revolution are the main causes of the
new era, named the Anthropocene.
11. What about the future?/what is next?
Virtual reality(VR)
Augmented reality(AR)
12. VIRTUAL REALITY
Virtual reality is an artificial environment that is created with software and presented to the
user in such a way that the user suspends belief and accepts it as a real environment. On a
computer, virtual reality is primarily experienced through two of the five senses: sight and
sound.
The simplest form of virtual reality is a 3-D image that can be explored interactively on a
personal computer, usually by manipulating keys or the mouse so that the content of the
image moves in some direction or zooms in or out
13. AUGMENTED REALITY
Augmented reality is the integration of digital information with the user's environment in
real time. Unlike virtual reality, which creates a totally artificial environment, augmented
reality uses the existing environment and overlays new information on top of it.
Boeing researcher Thomas Caudell coined the term augmented reality in 1990, to
describe how the head-mounted displays that electricians used when assembling
complicated wiring harnesses worked. One of the first commercial applications of AR
technology was the yellow "first down" line that began appearing in televised football
games sometime in 1998. Today, Google glasses and heads-up displays in car
windshields are perhaps the most well-known consumer AR products, but the
technology is used in many industries including healthcare, public safety, gas and oil,
tourism and marketing.
