Pub Date : 2023-03-15DOI: 10.1177/20530196231158080
I. Kubiszewski, C. Ward, K. Pickett, R. Costanza
Biodiversity change and increasing within-country economic inequalities represent two of the greatest global challenges of the Anthropocene. The most marginalized in society are often the most vulnerable to biodiversity change but there is no consensus on the relationships between biodiversity change and rising economic inequalities. To address this gap, we conducted a systematic scoping review of the literature and found 27 studies that explicitly examined the relationships between economic inequality and biodiversity. These were predominantly quantitative but also included qualitative, scenario, and review papers. The majority of studies (21/27) found evidence to suggest that more unequal regions had lower levels of biodiversity, and also that wealthier areas had higher levels of biodiversity. However, few studies investigated the causal mechanisms underlying the reported relationships, and there was little consistency in the metrics used to measure either inequality or biodiversity. Future research needs to focus on testing, or in-depth explorations, of causal mechanisms, with both quantitative and qualitative approaches needed. It is crucial that we understand how economic inequality and biodiversity interact if we are to meet the aims of reducing economic inequality and preventing further biodiversity loss.
{"title":"The complex relationships between economic inequality and biodiversity: A scoping review","authors":"I. Kubiszewski, C. Ward, K. Pickett, R. Costanza","doi":"10.1177/20530196231158080","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1177/20530196231158080","url":null,"abstract":"Biodiversity change and increasing within-country economic inequalities represent two of the greatest global challenges of the Anthropocene. The most marginalized in society are often the most vulnerable to biodiversity change but there is no consensus on the relationships between biodiversity change and rising economic inequalities. To address this gap, we conducted a systematic scoping review of the literature and found 27 studies that explicitly examined the relationships between economic inequality and biodiversity. These were predominantly quantitative but also included qualitative, scenario, and review papers. The majority of studies (21/27) found evidence to suggest that more unequal regions had lower levels of biodiversity, and also that wealthier areas had higher levels of biodiversity. However, few studies investigated the causal mechanisms underlying the reported relationships, and there was little consistency in the metrics used to measure either inequality or biodiversity. Future research needs to focus on testing, or in-depth explorations, of causal mechanisms, with both quantitative and qualitative approaches needed. It is crucial that we understand how economic inequality and biodiversity interact if we are to meet the aims of reducing economic inequality and preventing further biodiversity loss.","PeriodicalId":74943,"journal":{"name":"The anthropocene review","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2023-03-15","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"43044893","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2023-02-21DOI: 10.1177/20530196231153929
Tom Hannes, G. Bombaerts
Bruno Latour’s “practical climatoscepticism” expresses our moral inhibition with respect to the climate crisis. In spite of Clive Hamilton’s claim that the Anthropocene condition requires us to be suspicious of all previous (i.e. Holocene) ontologies, we propose a threefold Anthropocene ontological structure inspired by non-axial Buddhist elements. In the ontological field, the overall domain in which meaning is searched for, the Buddhist relationalist view on existence can nurture post-humanist philosophies. For the ontological home, one’s specific position and responsibilities, the Buddhist concept “dharma-position” can feed into Hamilton’s “new anthropocentrism.” For the ontological path, the ideal qualities of our interactions, the Buddhist “brahmaviharas” can lend functional structure to the tensions between philosophies of radical acceptance and engaged action. We discuss how this threefold ontological structure provides partial answers to Latour’s “practical climatoscepticism” and Hamilton’s no-analogue world. We sketch avenues for investigation for various Anthropocene ontologies.
{"title":"What does it mean that all is aflame? Non-axial Buddhist inspiration for an Anthropocene ontology","authors":"Tom Hannes, G. Bombaerts","doi":"10.1177/20530196231153929","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1177/20530196231153929","url":null,"abstract":"Bruno Latour’s “practical climatoscepticism” expresses our moral inhibition with respect to the climate crisis. In spite of Clive Hamilton’s claim that the Anthropocene condition requires us to be suspicious of all previous (i.e. Holocene) ontologies, we propose a threefold Anthropocene ontological structure inspired by non-axial Buddhist elements. In the ontological field, the overall domain in which meaning is searched for, the Buddhist relationalist view on existence can nurture post-humanist philosophies. For the ontological home, one’s specific position and responsibilities, the Buddhist concept “dharma-position” can feed into Hamilton’s “new anthropocentrism.” For the ontological path, the ideal qualities of our interactions, the Buddhist “brahmaviharas” can lend functional structure to the tensions between philosophies of radical acceptance and engaged action. We discuss how this threefold ontological structure provides partial answers to Latour’s “practical climatoscepticism” and Hamilton’s no-analogue world. We sketch avenues for investigation for various Anthropocene ontologies.","PeriodicalId":74943,"journal":{"name":"The anthropocene review","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2023-02-21","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"46516138","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2023-02-21DOI: 10.1177/20530196221147616
K. Delong, Kylie Palmer, A. Wagner, Mudith M Weerabaddana, N. Slowey, A. Herrmann, N. Duprey, A. Martínez-García, Jonathan Jung, I. Hajdas, N. Rose, S. Roberts, L. Roberts, A. Cundy, P. Gaca, J. Andrew Milton, Handong Yang, S. Turner, Chun‐Yuan Huang, Chuan‐Chou Shen, J. Zinke
The proposed Anthropocene Global Boundary Stratotype Section and Point (GSSP) candidate site of West Flower Garden Bank (27.8762°N, 93.8147°W) is an open ocean location in the Gulf of Mexico with a submerged coral reef and few direct human impacts. Corals contain highly accurate and precise (<±1 year) internal chronologies, similar to tree rings, and their exoskeletons are formed of aragonite and can be preserved in the rock record. Here we present results from a large Siderastrea siderea coral (core 05WFGB3; 1755–2005 CE) sampled with annual and monthly resolutions that show clear markers of global and regional human impacts. Atmospheric nuclear bomb testing by-products (14C, 239+240Pu) have clear increases in this coral starting in 1957 for 14C and the first increase in 1956 for 239+240Pu (potential bases for the Anthropocene GSSP). Coral δ13C declined especially after 1956 consistent with the Suess effect resulting from the burning of fossil fuels. Coral skeletal δ15N starts to increase in 1963 corresponding with the increase in agricultural fertilizers. Coral Hg concentrations (1933–1980) loosely track fluctuations in industrial pollution and coral Ba/Ca increases from 1965–1983 when offshore oil operations expand after 1947. Coral temperature proxies contain the 20th-century global warming trend whereas coral growth declines during this interval.
West Flower Garden Bank(27.8762°N,93.8147°W)拟建的人类世全球边界层型剖面和点(GSSP)候选地点是墨西哥湾的一个公海位置,珊瑚礁被淹没,几乎没有直接的人类影响。珊瑚礁含有高度准确和精确的(<±1 年)内部年代,类似于树木年轮,它们的外骨骼由霰石形成,可以保存在岩石记录中。在这里,我们展示了一个大型Siderastrea siderea珊瑚(核心05WFGB3;1755–2005 CE)以年度和月度分辨率采样,显示出全球和区域人类影响的明确标志。大气核弹试验副产物(14C,239+240Pu)在该珊瑚中的14C含量从1957年开始明显增加,239+240 Pu含量在1956年首次增加(人类世GSSP的潜在基础)。珊瑚δ13C下降,尤其是在1956年之后,这与化石燃料燃烧产生的苏伊士效应一致。1963年,随着农业肥料的增加,珊瑚骨骼δ15N开始增加。珊瑚汞浓度(1933年至1980年)大致跟踪工业污染的波动,珊瑚Ba/Ca在1965年至1983年期间增加,1947年后海上石油作业扩大。珊瑚温度指标包含了20世纪的全球变暖趋势,而珊瑚生长在这段时间内下降。
{"title":"The Flower Garden Banks Siderastrea siderea coral as a candidate Global boundary Stratotype Section and Point for the Anthropocene series","authors":"K. Delong, Kylie Palmer, A. Wagner, Mudith M Weerabaddana, N. Slowey, A. Herrmann, N. Duprey, A. Martínez-García, Jonathan Jung, I. Hajdas, N. Rose, S. Roberts, L. Roberts, A. Cundy, P. Gaca, J. Andrew Milton, Handong Yang, S. Turner, Chun‐Yuan Huang, Chuan‐Chou Shen, J. Zinke","doi":"10.1177/20530196221147616","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1177/20530196221147616","url":null,"abstract":"The proposed Anthropocene Global Boundary Stratotype Section and Point (GSSP) candidate site of West Flower Garden Bank (27.8762°N, 93.8147°W) is an open ocean location in the Gulf of Mexico with a submerged coral reef and few direct human impacts. Corals contain highly accurate and precise (<±1 year) internal chronologies, similar to tree rings, and their exoskeletons are formed of aragonite and can be preserved in the rock record. Here we present results from a large Siderastrea siderea coral (core 05WFGB3; 1755–2005 CE) sampled with annual and monthly resolutions that show clear markers of global and regional human impacts. Atmospheric nuclear bomb testing by-products (14C, 239+240Pu) have clear increases in this coral starting in 1957 for 14C and the first increase in 1956 for 239+240Pu (potential bases for the Anthropocene GSSP). Coral δ13C declined especially after 1956 consistent with the Suess effect resulting from the burning of fossil fuels. Coral skeletal δ15N starts to increase in 1963 corresponding with the increase in agricultural fertilizers. Coral Hg concentrations (1933–1980) loosely track fluctuations in industrial pollution and coral Ba/Ca increases from 1965–1983 when offshore oil operations expand after 1947. Coral temperature proxies contain the 20th-century global warming trend whereas coral growth declines during this interval.","PeriodicalId":74943,"journal":{"name":"The anthropocene review","volume":"10 1","pages":"225 - 250"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2023-02-21","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"43311704","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2023-02-19DOI: 10.1177/20530196221149121
Junwei Tan, Qingyun Duan, C. Xiao, Chunyang He, Xiaodong Yan
Human activities have profound impacts on climate and ecosystems via fossil fuel use and land-use changes, and environmental changes in turn affect human society. Due to strong bidirectional links between the human society and the environment, there is a need to understand the complex dynamics of coupled human-Earth systems (CHES) for mitigation and adaptation purposes. In this paper, four main feedback links between human and Earth systems are identified, and the simulated impacts of some of these feedbacks on natural and social variables based on CHES models are examined. To better understand the current state of CHES modeling, the model development history is briefly described including the implementation of several different coupling forms and approaches. The CHES models are still in a quickly developing stage facing several gaps and challenges in theoretical understanding and modeling techniques. To meet these gaps and challenges, more studies across different research communities with truly interdisciplinary collaboration are required.
{"title":"A brief review of the coupled human-Earth system modeling: Current state and challenges","authors":"Junwei Tan, Qingyun Duan, C. Xiao, Chunyang He, Xiaodong Yan","doi":"10.1177/20530196221149121","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1177/20530196221149121","url":null,"abstract":"Human activities have profound impacts on climate and ecosystems via fossil fuel use and land-use changes, and environmental changes in turn affect human society. Due to strong bidirectional links between the human society and the environment, there is a need to understand the complex dynamics of coupled human-Earth systems (CHES) for mitigation and adaptation purposes. In this paper, four main feedback links between human and Earth systems are identified, and the simulated impacts of some of these feedbacks on natural and social variables based on CHES models are examined. To better understand the current state of CHES modeling, the model development history is briefly described including the implementation of several different coupling forms and approaches. The CHES models are still in a quickly developing stage facing several gaps and challenges in theoretical understanding and modeling techniques. To meet these gaps and challenges, more studies across different research communities with truly interdisciplinary collaboration are required.","PeriodicalId":74943,"journal":{"name":"The anthropocene review","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2023-02-19","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"45482041","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2023-02-19DOI: 10.1177/20530196221142963
J. Zinke, N. Cantin, K. Delong, Kylie Palmer, A. Boom, I. Hajdas, N. Duprey, A. Martínez-García, N. Rose, S. Roberts, Handong Yang, L. Roberts, A. Cundy, P. Gaca, J. A. Milton, G. Frank, Adam F. Cox, Sue Sampson, G. Tyrrell, Molly Agg, S. Turner
Corals are unique in the suite of proposed Anthropocene Global Boundary Stratotype Section and Point (GSSP) archives, as living organisms that produce aragonite exoskeletons preserved in the geological record that contain highly accurate and precise (<±1 year) internal chronologies. The GSSP candidate site North Flinders Reef in the Coral Sea (Australia) is an offshore oceanic reef, and therefore less vulnerable to local human influences than those closer to the coast. Here, we present geochemical records from two Porites sp. corals sampled at an annual to pluri-annual (i.e. 3–5 years) resolution that shows clear global and regional human impacts. Atmospheric nuclear bomb testing by-products (14C,239+240Pu) show a clear increase in the Flinders Reef corals coincident with well-dated nuclear testing operations. By contrast, the radionuclides 241Am and 137Cs are present at low or undetectable levels, as are spheroidal carbonaceous fly-ash particles. Coral δ13C shows centennial variability likely influenced by growth effects in the 18th century and with a progression to lower values starting in 1880 CE and accelerating post-1970 CE. The latter may be related to the Suess effect resulting from 13C-depleted fossil fuel burning. Coral δ15N decreased between 1710 and 1954 CE with a reversal post-1954 CE. Coral temperature proxies indicate prominent centennial variability with equally warm conditions in the 18th and end of 20th century. However, the exact mechanisms responsible for the mid-20th century changes in these parameters need to be scrutinised in further detail. Plain Language summary: This work proposes a candidate natural archive for the official marker of the Anthropocene that geologists will use to mark this important interval in time. Our candidate is a live coral from North Flinders Reef in the Coral Sea (Australia), located 150 km east of the Great Barrier Reef, a location that is remote from direct local human influences. Corals are a unique archive of tropical ocean change because they incorporate the geochemical signature from seawater into their limestone skeleton during their long life-spans. Here we investigated a number of geochemical markers in yearly growth layers of the corals to define several markers for the Anthropocene based on changes in temperature, water chemistry, chemicals from pollution and fertilisers, radioactive products from nuclear bomb testing, and by-products from burning fossil fuels. We have detected clear human influences in several of these markers.
{"title":"North Flinders Reef (Coral Sea, Australia) Porites sp. corals as a candidate Global boundary Stratotype Section and Point for the Anthropocene series","authors":"J. Zinke, N. Cantin, K. Delong, Kylie Palmer, A. Boom, I. Hajdas, N. Duprey, A. Martínez-García, N. Rose, S. Roberts, Handong Yang, L. Roberts, A. Cundy, P. Gaca, J. A. Milton, G. Frank, Adam F. Cox, Sue Sampson, G. Tyrrell, Molly Agg, S. Turner","doi":"10.1177/20530196221142963","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1177/20530196221142963","url":null,"abstract":"Corals are unique in the suite of proposed Anthropocene Global Boundary Stratotype Section and Point (GSSP) archives, as living organisms that produce aragonite exoskeletons preserved in the geological record that contain highly accurate and precise (<±1 year) internal chronologies. The GSSP candidate site North Flinders Reef in the Coral Sea (Australia) is an offshore oceanic reef, and therefore less vulnerable to local human influences than those closer to the coast. Here, we present geochemical records from two Porites sp. corals sampled at an annual to pluri-annual (i.e. 3–5 years) resolution that shows clear global and regional human impacts. Atmospheric nuclear bomb testing by-products (14C,239+240Pu) show a clear increase in the Flinders Reef corals coincident with well-dated nuclear testing operations. By contrast, the radionuclides 241Am and 137Cs are present at low or undetectable levels, as are spheroidal carbonaceous fly-ash particles. Coral δ13C shows centennial variability likely influenced by growth effects in the 18th century and with a progression to lower values starting in 1880 CE and accelerating post-1970 CE. The latter may be related to the Suess effect resulting from 13C-depleted fossil fuel burning. Coral δ15N decreased between 1710 and 1954 CE with a reversal post-1954 CE. Coral temperature proxies indicate prominent centennial variability with equally warm conditions in the 18th and end of 20th century. However, the exact mechanisms responsible for the mid-20th century changes in these parameters need to be scrutinised in further detail. Plain Language summary: This work proposes a candidate natural archive for the official marker of the Anthropocene that geologists will use to mark this important interval in time. Our candidate is a live coral from North Flinders Reef in the Coral Sea (Australia), located 150 km east of the Great Barrier Reef, a location that is remote from direct local human influences. Corals are a unique archive of tropical ocean change because they incorporate the geochemical signature from seawater into their limestone skeleton during their long life-spans. Here we investigated a number of geochemical markers in yearly growth layers of the corals to define several markers for the Anthropocene based on changes in temperature, water chemistry, chemicals from pollution and fertilisers, radioactive products from nuclear bomb testing, and by-products from burning fossil fuels. We have detected clear human influences in several of these markers.","PeriodicalId":74943,"journal":{"name":"The anthropocene review","volume":"10 1","pages":"201 - 224"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2023-02-19","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"48631460","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2023-02-15DOI: 10.1177/20530196221149120
Janice Winkler, M. Vaverková, L. Havel
Plants can adapt to different conditions. They use different life strategies which allow them to adapt and survive. While humans and human civilization cause changes in the Earth’s ecology, only negative impacts of human civilization on individual parts of ecosystems tend to be presented and described. One often omitted fact is that humans also create new habitats which, for many plant species, are new challenges necessary to trigger changes in their life strategies. In the contemporary flora, there is a group of plant species that use and prefer anthropogenic habitats, and beneficial relationships started to be established between the human civilization and certain plant species. These plants have developed a new type of strategy—the anthropogenic life strategy—as a result of the co-evolution of plants and humans. During their evolution, humans—as a biological species—have exceeded their biological boundaries and transformed into human civilization, which is a factor altering environmental conditions and contributing to the evolution of new species, including plants.
{"title":"Anthropogenic life strategy of plants","authors":"Janice Winkler, M. Vaverková, L. Havel","doi":"10.1177/20530196221149120","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1177/20530196221149120","url":null,"abstract":"Plants can adapt to different conditions. They use different life strategies which allow them to adapt and survive. While humans and human civilization cause changes in the Earth’s ecology, only negative impacts of human civilization on individual parts of ecosystems tend to be presented and described. One often omitted fact is that humans also create new habitats which, for many plant species, are new challenges necessary to trigger changes in their life strategies. In the contemporary flora, there is a group of plant species that use and prefer anthropogenic habitats, and beneficial relationships started to be established between the human civilization and certain plant species. These plants have developed a new type of strategy—the anthropogenic life strategy—as a result of the co-evolution of plants and humans. During their evolution, humans—as a biological species—have exceeded their biological boundaries and transformed into human civilization, which is a factor altering environmental conditions and contributing to the evolution of new species, including plants.","PeriodicalId":74943,"journal":{"name":"The anthropocene review","volume":"10 1","pages":"455 - 462"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2023-02-15","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"44863603","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2023-02-07DOI: 10.1177/20530196221136422
C. Waters, S. Turner, J. Zalasiewicz, M. Head
We review and compare proposals for 12 reference sections submitted to the Anthropocene Working Group of the International Subcommission on Quaternary Stratigraphy, of which one will be recommended as the Global boundary Stratotype Section and Point (GSSP) to define the base of the Anthropocene as a series within the Geological Time Scale. The sites span five continents and are located in diverse environments, with all but one sampled by coring. Many sites show annually resolved laminae (here considered optimal for GSSP selection) that can be independently dated radiometrically to confirm a complete succession over the critical interval. An extensive range of proxies, documenting profound human modification of the Earth System at around the mid-20th century interval, has been analysed. Airborne signals (e.g. radioisotopes, fly ash, stable carbon and nitrogen isotopes) provide the most widespread and near-isochronous proxies, applicable across most environments. Additional means of correlation include the appearance of microplastics and persistent organic pollutants, and shifts in heavy metal concentrations and lead isotope ratios. Assemblage changes of microfossils (and some macrofossils) in marine, estuarine and lake settings reflect environmental changes and biological introductions. These systematic and comprehensive datasets, with correlation established between sections, provide the basis for a proposal to formalize the Anthropocene.
{"title":"Candidate sites and other reference sections for the Global boundary Stratotype Section and Point of the Anthropocene series","authors":"C. Waters, S. Turner, J. Zalasiewicz, M. Head","doi":"10.1177/20530196221136422","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1177/20530196221136422","url":null,"abstract":"We review and compare proposals for 12 reference sections submitted to the Anthropocene Working Group of the International Subcommission on Quaternary Stratigraphy, of which one will be recommended as the Global boundary Stratotype Section and Point (GSSP) to define the base of the Anthropocene as a series within the Geological Time Scale. The sites span five continents and are located in diverse environments, with all but one sampled by coring. Many sites show annually resolved laminae (here considered optimal for GSSP selection) that can be independently dated radiometrically to confirm a complete succession over the critical interval. An extensive range of proxies, documenting profound human modification of the Earth System at around the mid-20th century interval, has been analysed. Airborne signals (e.g. radioisotopes, fly ash, stable carbon and nitrogen isotopes) provide the most widespread and near-isochronous proxies, applicable across most environments. Additional means of correlation include the appearance of microplastics and persistent organic pollutants, and shifts in heavy metal concentrations and lead isotope ratios. Assemblage changes of microfossils (and some macrofossils) in marine, estuarine and lake settings reflect environmental changes and biological introductions. These systematic and comprehensive datasets, with correlation established between sections, provide the basis for a proposal to formalize the Anthropocene.","PeriodicalId":74943,"journal":{"name":"The anthropocene review","volume":"10 1","pages":"3 - 24"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2023-02-07","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"42012572","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2023-01-19DOI: 10.1177/20530196221149105
R. Kaaronen, Mikael A. Manninen, J. Eronen
This article reviews how simple heuristics – ‘rules of thumb’ – have guided human adaptation and the evolution of complex cultures. First, we argue that rules of thumb have been important catalysts for the evolution of human knowledge systems in the Holocene past. Through a variety of examples and case studies, we discuss how human cultures have used simple heuristics in domains as diverse as foraging, agriculture, social learning, moral and legal judgement and technological development. We emphasise how rules of thumb are convenient units for cultural transmission, and how they can facilitate efficient decision making by making use of recurrent environmental features. Second, we caution that as Anthropocene environments rapidly change, many traditional heuristic problem-solving strategies will face challenges due to cultural evolutionary mismatch. Old rules may not function in new environments, creating potential challenges for traditional (ecological) knowledge.
{"title":"Rules of thumb, from Holocene to Anthropocene","authors":"R. Kaaronen, Mikael A. Manninen, J. Eronen","doi":"10.1177/20530196221149105","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1177/20530196221149105","url":null,"abstract":"This article reviews how simple heuristics – ‘rules of thumb’ – have guided human adaptation and the evolution of complex cultures. First, we argue that rules of thumb have been important catalysts for the evolution of human knowledge systems in the Holocene past. Through a variety of examples and case studies, we discuss how human cultures have used simple heuristics in domains as diverse as foraging, agriculture, social learning, moral and legal judgement and technological development. We emphasise how rules of thumb are convenient units for cultural transmission, and how they can facilitate efficient decision making by making use of recurrent environmental features. Second, we caution that as Anthropocene environments rapidly change, many traditional heuristic problem-solving strategies will face challenges due to cultural evolutionary mismatch. Old rules may not function in new environments, creating potential challenges for traditional (ecological) knowledge.","PeriodicalId":74943,"journal":{"name":"The anthropocene review","volume":"1 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2023-01-19","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"41384780","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2023-01-17DOI: 10.1177/20530196221147607
Stephen Himson, Mark Williams, J. Zalasiewicz, C. Waters, M. McGann, Richard England, B. Jaffe, A. Boom, R. Holmes, Sue Sampson, Cerin Pye, J. Berrío, G. Tyrrell, I. Wilkinson, N. Rose, P. Gaca, A. Cundy
A San Francisco Estuary core was analysed at high resolution to assess its component stratigraphic signatures of the Anthropocene in the form of non-native species, Hg, spheroidal carbonaceous particles, δ13Corg, δ15N, radiogenic materials, and heavy metals. Time series analysis of the core using Ti data provides a chronology to depth 167 cm into the 1960s. Below this, to depth 230 cm, the lowermost part of the core may extend to the 1950s or potentially a little earlier. The earliest anthropogenic marker recorded in the core is the excursion in Hg (beginning at 190 cm) which may denote the early 1960s and is the closest stratigraphic marker in the core to the proposed mid-20th century timing for the onset of the Anthropocene. Biostratigraphical signatures of non-native species arriving in the 1970s–1980s are widespread key markers and are significant tools for the correlation of Anthropocene deposits across the estuary. The absence of signals that indicate pre-1950s deposits precludes the use of the core to mark the Holocene–Anthropocene boundary. However, the core provides an important reference section to demonstrate the palaeontological distinctiveness of Anthropocene series deposits.
{"title":"The San Francisco Estuary, USA as a reference section for the Anthropocene series","authors":"Stephen Himson, Mark Williams, J. Zalasiewicz, C. Waters, M. McGann, Richard England, B. Jaffe, A. Boom, R. Holmes, Sue Sampson, Cerin Pye, J. Berrío, G. Tyrrell, I. Wilkinson, N. Rose, P. Gaca, A. Cundy","doi":"10.1177/20530196221147607","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1177/20530196221147607","url":null,"abstract":"A San Francisco Estuary core was analysed at high resolution to assess its component stratigraphic signatures of the Anthropocene in the form of non-native species, Hg, spheroidal carbonaceous particles, δ13Corg, δ15N, radiogenic materials, and heavy metals. Time series analysis of the core using Ti data provides a chronology to depth 167 cm into the 1960s. Below this, to depth 230 cm, the lowermost part of the core may extend to the 1950s or potentially a little earlier. The earliest anthropogenic marker recorded in the core is the excursion in Hg (beginning at 190 cm) which may denote the early 1960s and is the closest stratigraphic marker in the core to the proposed mid-20th century timing for the onset of the Anthropocene. Biostratigraphical signatures of non-native species arriving in the 1970s–1980s are widespread key markers and are significant tools for the correlation of Anthropocene deposits across the estuary. The absence of signals that indicate pre-1950s deposits precludes the use of the core to mark the Holocene–Anthropocene boundary. However, the core provides an important reference section to demonstrate the palaeontological distinctiveness of Anthropocene series deposits.","PeriodicalId":74943,"journal":{"name":"The anthropocene review","volume":"10 1","pages":"87 - 115"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2023-01-17","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"48149868","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2023-01-13DOI: 10.1177/20530196221149111
J. Kazak, J. Chodkowska-Miszczuk, G. Chrobak, M. Mrówczyńska, Standa Martinát
Considering unpredictable and hastily evolving tipping points (like the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic, ongoing climate crisis and the war in Ukraine), it is clear that sustainable energy transition and utilization of locally sourced renewable energies must be in the heart of both national, regional, and local energy systems. However, if we take a closer look at the actions undertaken at the local (communal) level, we see enormous diversity of patterns, prerequisites, and implications that drive and affect spatial deployment of renewable energies. Therefore, our research targets to better comprehend the question if individual communities are comparatively involved in the energy transition. We also ask whether the demand and supply of renewable energy is territorially balanced and how these differences (if any) can be justified. We are framing our research by the concepts of energy justice and ecological debt. We thoroughly explore and asses the renewable energy balance on the level of individual communities which is based on data on the installed power capacity potentials and energy consumption in local administration units in Poland (380). Spatial distribution and discrepancies in the deployment of the renewable energy creditors and the renewable energy debtors are detected. Noticeable disproportions were identified among communities where improved utilization of local potential of renewable energy could exceed energy demand (29% of communities). This result is contrasting with communities (71% of communities) that can be, on the other hand, classified as renewable energy debtors. We claim that insufficient support (institution, regulatory, and financial) for expanding local renewable energy systems is a clear barrier when adapting to the climate crisis by balancing the energy demand and supply at the local level.
{"title":"Renewable energy creditors versus renewable energy debtors: Seeking a pattern in a sustainable energy transition during the climate crisis","authors":"J. Kazak, J. Chodkowska-Miszczuk, G. Chrobak, M. Mrówczyńska, Standa Martinát","doi":"10.1177/20530196221149111","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1177/20530196221149111","url":null,"abstract":"Considering unpredictable and hastily evolving tipping points (like the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic, ongoing climate crisis and the war in Ukraine), it is clear that sustainable energy transition and utilization of locally sourced renewable energies must be in the heart of both national, regional, and local energy systems. However, if we take a closer look at the actions undertaken at the local (communal) level, we see enormous diversity of patterns, prerequisites, and implications that drive and affect spatial deployment of renewable energies. Therefore, our research targets to better comprehend the question if individual communities are comparatively involved in the energy transition. We also ask whether the demand and supply of renewable energy is territorially balanced and how these differences (if any) can be justified. We are framing our research by the concepts of energy justice and ecological debt. We thoroughly explore and asses the renewable energy balance on the level of individual communities which is based on data on the installed power capacity potentials and energy consumption in local administration units in Poland (380). Spatial distribution and discrepancies in the deployment of the renewable energy creditors and the renewable energy debtors are detected. Noticeable disproportions were identified among communities where improved utilization of local potential of renewable energy could exceed energy demand (29% of communities). This result is contrasting with communities (71% of communities) that can be, on the other hand, classified as renewable energy debtors. We claim that insufficient support (institution, regulatory, and financial) for expanding local renewable energy systems is a clear barrier when adapting to the climate crisis by balancing the energy demand and supply at the local level.","PeriodicalId":74943,"journal":{"name":"The anthropocene review","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2023-01-13","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"49064733","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}