Weekly Reading 8/30

As stated in Vitousek’s article, “all organisms modify their environment.” The growth of the human population on Earth, as well as the development of modern technology have had drastic effects on our planet’s ecology. The Anthropocene is the term used to describe the period of time over which man has had a detrimental, as well as beneficial, impact on Earth’s ecology. Compared to the Holocence, an era categorized by low levels of human influence on their ecosystems, the Anthropocene illuminates the effects that an ever-increasing human population, advancements in technology, and alteration of the environment can have on an ecosystem. The human population increases everyday, and not only in small increments. Thousands are born each day, even every hour (every minute could be stretching it). A rough translation reveals that the root of the term could mean something along the lines of “human era.” Our generation is quite possibly the most influential generation in human history. History is writing itself more quickly than ever before and developments in technology are enabling humans to do things that even 20 years ago, people never thought could be possible. In an era where humans, even machines, can communicate over great distances, it is hard to imagine what the future holds for us humans. As amazing as the feats humans have been able to accomplish are, the burden that our environment bears is even greater. The level of damage caused to terrestrial, oceanic, and biotic ecosystems are staggering. Both articles clearly exposed the negative effects of human interaction to these important ecosystems. Perhaps the most prominent and detrimental effect of human interaction with these ecosystems is the vast increase in CO2 in our atmosphere. Burning fossil fuels and driving cars are just two of a long list of human activities that lead to increased levels of CO2. While increased levels of CO2 are beneficial to organisms such as flora and fauna, other organisms suffer as this results in poor food quality. Over-fishing can lead to a massive degradation of the oceanic food chain, thus resulting in major problems for aquatic species. Both articles explore the interaction of humans and their environments. Kareiva’s article discusses the concept of an “Urban Ecology.” The phrase “Urban Ecology” refers to the relationship between those living in an urban setting and their environment. Probably the best example of an “urban ecology” is New York City; a city that despite the concrete jungle looming overhead, is adept at keeping things environmentally friendly. In “Conservation in the Anthropocene” the central argument is too stop looking to create new parks and whatnot, and instead, we should focus on making our cities greener and more eco-friendly.