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