Have humans earned the Anthropocene?—with Peter Brannen

Do humans deserve to have an epoch named for us? On the one hand, we have irreparably changed the course of evolution. On the other hand, should things continue on their current trajectory, human civilization may not be around long enough to read as more than a blip on the fossil record. So, is Anthropocene the right name for the geologic period we’re in? 

 

Peter Brannen is the award-winning science journalist and deep time aficionado behind The Ends of the World: Volcanic Apocalypses, Lethal Oceans, and Our Quest to Understand Earth’s Past Mass Extinctions. On this bonus episode of Reversing Climate Change, he comes back on the show to discuss his recently published articles in The Atlantic, ‘The Anthropocene is a Joke’ and ‘What Made Me Reconsider the Anthropocene.’ We discuss why deep time is such a foreign concept to the general public and Peter explains how the term Anthropocene has evolved to encompass all human activity. 

 

Peter shares his initial argument against the Anthropocene being classified as an epoch, describing how our impact on the geologic record will present as a tiny line in the rocks and why it’s wildly optimistic to assume that we’ll persist far enough into geological time to merit the label. Listen in to understand why Peter’s point of view on the Anthropocene has shifted and learn how our actions may have initiated the mass extinction that introduces the next epoch.

 

Key Takeaways

 

[0:59] Why deep time is such a foreign concept to the general public

Landscape of history infinitely longer than human history Hidden away in academic papers in language of geology

 

[1:40] Peter’s argument against the Anthropocene as an epoch

Anthropocene used colloquially as ‘anything humans do’ Human layer = tiny line in rocks (event, not epoch) Optimistic to assume humans persist into geological time

 

[8:34] The biggest impact humans have had on the planet thus far

Wave of extinctions follow humans for last 50K+ years Fossil fuels changing planet radically but indistinguishable on fossil record

 

[12:10] How Peter’s point of view on the Anthropocene has shifted

Likely that humans have deflected course of evolution irreparably Our actions may have initiated mass extinction that will define new epoch

 

[16:21] How humans might earn our own epoch

Could get to same level as previous mass extinctions in next century Anthropocene = blip on geological record if we don’t get house in order

 

[19:34] The Cambrian explosion vs. current technological innovation 

Biological innovation caused explosion of animal life 543M years ago  Current tech reshaped world very quickly for better and worse New creative period if learn to live in simpatico with environment

 

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Resources

 

Peter’s Website

Peter on Twitter

Peter Brannen on RCC EP087

The Ends of the World: Volcanic Apocalypses, Lethal Oceans, and Our Quest to Understand Earth’s Past Mass Extinctions by Peter Brannen

‘The Anthropocene is a Joke’ in The Atlantic

‘What Made Me Reconsider the Anthropocene’ in The Atlantic

David Grinspoon on RCC EP047