Going Beyond the Obvious

Hunting and habitat destruction are the usual suspects for the extinction of animal species at human hands. These are well recognised issues and many organisations work hard to protect endangered species from these threats, however, climate change will bring about a whole new wave of  problems.

Images of polar bears stranded on ever-shrinking ice sheets have become common-place in media campaigns raising awareness of climate change. It is true that the Arctic is highly sensitive to climate change and the diminishing food sources and changes to habitat represent a very real threat to polar bear populations. However, the reality of the consequences of climate change for animals goes well beyond melting ice. These consequences may also be more complex and less perceptible than the well illustrated plight of the polar bear.

Recent studies have shown that warmer temperatures will impact the incubation of sea turtle eggs. The temperature of the sand during incubation determines the gender of the turtle; increased temperatures will result in a higher proportion of females. While this may be good news for population growth in the short-term, ultimately a severe gender imbalance poses a serious threat.

More Sea Turtles Will Be Born Female As Climate Warms, Study Shows

These findings emphasise that the consequences of climate change may not always be obvious. The incubation of sea turtle and other reptile eggs is just one example of an obscure repercussion. It seems likely that there will be many more and if we cannot pre-empt them it is improbable that we will be able to respond to them in a timely or effective way.

Plants and animals have spent millions of years evolving to thrive in their environment. Climate change disrupts delicate and intricate environmental balances at a rate that is too fast for animals to adapt.

Whatever Remains

The photo below was taken at Euston Square tube station, it is an interesting thought to consider when in the bustling centre of London city. 

There are fewer and fewer places that remain untouched by human development, and it seems that we are now looking at nuclear wasteland as undisturbed places of interest.

Haunting Pictures Reveal the Eerie Beauty of Chernobyl  

Following the 25th anniversary of the Chernobyl disaster there are many collections of photos depicting the abandoned exclusion zone as an area of curious tranquillity.

There is also great interest in the impact of radioactivity on plant and animal life in the area, not least of all because it can help inform the impacts on human life. While there are arguments that life has thrived in the area due to the absence of humans and that some bird species appear to be adapting to the radioactivity, it cannot be denied that the environment and most of the life within it has suffered and been diminished.

At Chernobyl, Hints of Nature's Adaptation

The New York times article linked above, discusses studies of animal life around Chernobyl. While it is interesting to consider the complexity and resilience of nature, I think it is above all, poignant that nature has shown such endurance in an area unfit for human habitation.

It's Complicated...

The obvious answer to the question: "How does the whole world fit into the anthrosphere?",  is that it doesn't. There are multiple aspects of the environment that are compromised and damaged in the course of human development and population growth. These issues are widely known; deforestation, endangered species, climate change...

This bleak picture is a familiar one, and often seems quite straightforward; as human societies flourish, nature is diminished. However things are rarely so simple and it seems that nature may have the capacity to fight back. This is not to say that we should not be concerned with nature's response to human influences. If nature faces a human induced survival of the fittest, we should be wary that the way in which nature endures might be undesirable for human society. There is reason to be cautious about interfering with the complex and delicate balance of nature.

Rachel Carson's Silent Spring first published in 1962, brought attention the dangers of heavy-handed interactions with nature. The book, in which Carson raised the alarm on chemical pest control, is credited with shaping modern ecological concerns. There are numerous examples of how the indiscriminate spraying of DDT and other toxic chemicals did not achieve sustained pest control, and even made matters worse. This was often because of the lack of attention paid to the complex checks and balances that occur naturally in ecosystems. Apart from the distressing descriptions of how birds, fish, farm animals and pets suffered and died from unintentional poisoning, the book also highlights the economic and social costs. The use of toxic chemicals did not continue along the irresponsible pathway that Carson imagined, this is in part due to the work that she did, however the ultimate message from Silent Spring remains relevant today. The idea that nature can be "controlled" in a predictable manner is naive and arrogant. We should approach nature with a measure of humility, care and consideration.  

Recent studies suggest that increased atmospheric carbon dioxide may make crops less nutritious. This is an example of how anthropogenic changes to the atmosphere can have unexpected consequences elsewhere, and highlights the intricacy of our environment and its interrelationships, which we struggle to understand fully.

Read the National Geographic article on crop nutrition and climate change

What is the Anthrosphere?

The anthrosphere or anthroposphere (sometimes also called the technosphere) refers to the part of the environment that is made or modified by humans and is used for human activity. It is one of the earth's spheres. Other major spheres include the atmosphere, lithosphere, cryosphere, biosphere and hydrosphere. While these other spheres may have important interactions and exchanges with each other, and are certainly not independent of each other, it is relatively straightforward to characterise and differentiate between these spheres. The anthrosphere, however, is more complex.

    

The anthrosphere plays an increasingly prominent role in influencing changes within each of the other spheres. That is to say that human activities are impacting ice sheets, sea level, sea acidity, land cover change, biodiversity and atmospheric carbon dioxide concentrations. While by no means an exhaustive list, this should be enough to illustrate that the anthrosphere has a powerful and far reaching impact on planet Earth.

The anthrosphere is not as old as the other spheres mentioned, and unlike the other spheres it has grown in importance over a relatively short space of time. Although a period of glaciation would have a drastic impact on the earth and would demonstrate the strength of the cryosphere, the cyclical changes between glaciation and inter-glaciation happen over very long time-scales and do not match the exponential and relentless growth of the anthropogenic influence.

The human hand print on earth can be traced back to the development of agriculture, the onset of industrialisation and the continued growth of the human population and its associated activities. The anthrosphere has become a dominant force at the expense of the other spheres and it begs the question of how the other components of the earth system can fit into this anthropocentric world; how does the whole world fit into the anthrosphere?