Welcome to the Anthropocene: the Smithsonian

[Cliffy]

See How Humans Have Reshaped the Globe With This Interactive Atlas


Extinction rates are now
100 to 1000 time above normal or background levels

times above normal, or background, levels.

Studies of biodiversity suggest that human-induced extinctions will rival the great mass extinctions of prehistory, including the one that wiped out the large dinosaurs.

Biodiversity hotspots, mapped by Conservation International, are the richest and most threatened reservoirs of natural diversity. They cover only 2.3 percent of the world's land yet contain a high number of plant and animal species. For instance, the Hawaiian islands are rich in diversity but are particularly vulnerable to extinctions caused by the introduction of non-native plants and animals. According to the American Bird Conservancy, 71 of Hawaii's endemic bird species are already extinct; only 31 species remain.



more: See How Humans Have Reshaped the Globe With This Interactive Atlas | Science | Smithsonian

 

[Cliffy]

Sylvia Earle: A Life Lived Under Water to Preserve Our Seas (I Am Eco Warrior) - YouTube

 

[EagleSmack]

Eco WARRIOR!

 

[Cliffy]

Eco WARRIOR!

Eco couch potato.

 

[BaalsTears]

Sylvia Earle: A Life Lived Under Water to Preserve Our Seas (I Am Eco Warrior) - YouTube

Didn't you use to date Sylvia Earle?

 

[grainfedpraiboy]

I don't hold out much hope for the future. I have been on this planet since the mid 60s and in just that short time I have seen tremendous environmental degradation and change and this observation is coming from one of the more pristine parts of the planet. I shudder to think of the gong show that is India or China.

I think my first real exposure to pollution was when the goddamned Liberals created the NEP and nearly destroyed us and my father moved the family to Toronto for a few years to survive. We were all stunned not by the smell or haze but by the fact that the air was so bad there weren't really no bugs flying around in it.

Today the elders tell me there are types of animals and plants wandering and growing where they have never been before. The lakes around here are all full of algae now and there is hardly any fish anywhere anymore and what little I find I am finding more with disease. But the greatest harbinger of things being bad out there is I am having the hardest time keeping my bees alive and I am not alone. Beeks everywhere are struggling.

In 2010 I watched the movie Queen of the Sun and tried to turn the home apiary into a biodynamic one. After 5 years I have given up and believe that the environment is too f'cked in my neck of the woods for bees to survive without human input and even with management through artificial feed, medications and chemicals we still lose 10-35% of colonies each year.

Most (if not all) of the farmers, ndns, trappers and guides I know all believe something is amiss out here. In fact, the only folks who seem to not think there is a problem or it is a government conspiracy are the ones who live in suburbs and cities where the grass is green and the supermarket shelves full whether it rains or not and the most time they spend outdoors is going from their climate controlled home/office/mall to their climate controlled car.

Queen of the sun - what are the bees telling us 2010 ( A Nap királynője teljes film) - YouTube

 

[Cliffy]

Only those who have a vested interest in maintaining the status quo are in denial. But indications are that the system that is at the heart of this debacle is self destructing. Those who struggle to hold onto this machine will suffer the most.

 

[gerryh]

yup, the world is coming to an end. ya's all may as well off yerselves. There aint nuthin werth livin fer. :roll:

 

[grainfedpraiboy]

yup, the world is coming to an end. ya's all may as well off yerselves. There aint nuthin werth livin fer. :roll:

That is certainly the perspective of an average of around 1-2K species a year that go extinct. But being concerned about an ecological collapse like Easter Island but on a global scale is a prudent and responsible concern for anyone who can see beyond their personal mountain of stuff.