Erle Ellis, associate professor of geography and environmental systems was taking a walk down the beach when he found a smooth object. Thinking it was some relic of years of ocean polishing he put it in his pocket only to discover a trash heap a short distance away.

Triggered by his accidental discovery, Ellis measured on a global scale how much of Earth has been changed by humans. Using satellite data, he concluded that at least two thirds of the land surface have already been modified for agriculture, cities, mining and other human purposes. The oceans have also become an arena of human intervention: much of the sea floor has been ploughed over at least once through bottom trawling. Many species of fish have shrunk in size due to overfishing. And it’s the oceans where the effects of billions of tons of greenhouse gases added to the atmosphere have the most tangible effects. The seas are soaking up a lot of the extra heat, and CO2 makes seawater more acidic, endangering coral reefs and algae built with chalky substances.

Ellis’ anecdote kicks off an opinion piece, Touched by Nature,  in Geographical written by Christian Schwagerl, a Berlin-based author, journalist and biologist writing extensively on the Anthropocene.

Schwagerl’s take-home message?

The Anthropocene idea is an urgent call to develop better future fossils than melted garbage.

Read more about the Anthropocene
When did the Anthropocene begin? A mid-twentieth century boundary level is stratigraphically optimal
 

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