The ecology of Homo sapiens has been noted as being that of an unprecedented 'global superpredator' that regularly preys on the adults of other apex predators and has worldwide effects on food webs. Extinctions of species have occurred on every land mass and ocean, with many famous examples within Africa, Asia, Europe, Australia, North and South America, and on smaller islands. Overall, the Holocene extinction can be characterized by the human impact on the environment. The Holocene extinction continues into the 21st century, with overfishing, ocean acidification and the amphibian crisis being a few broader examples of an almost universal, cosmopolitan decline of biodiversity.
It has been suggested human activity has made the period following the mid-20th century different enough from the Holocene to consider it a new geological epoch, known as the Anthropocene, which will be considered for implementation into the timeline of Earth's history by the International Commission on Stratigraphy in 2016.
It has been suggested human activity has made the period following the mid-20th century different enough from the Holocene to consider it a new geological epoch, known as the Anthropocene, which will be considered for implementation into the timeline of Earth's history by the International Commission on Stratigraphy in 2016.
No comments:
Post a Comment