Advent of the Anthropocene Epoch - Quantifying Drivers and Impacts Since 1950 CE

Explore the concept of the Anthropocene Epoch in this comprehensive lecture by Jaia Syvitski from the University of Colorado. Delve into the quantifiable drivers and impacts of human activity on Earth since approximately 1950 CE. Examine how human energy expenditure in the Anthropocene, estimated at 22 zetajoules, surpasses the total energy expended during the entire 11,700-year Holocene period. Investigate the correlation between global human population, productivity, and energy consumption, and their effects on various environmental factors. Analyze the significant changes in large dam construction, shrimp farming, industrial production of materials, mineral species, atmospheric gases, freshwater budgets, surface temperatures, sea levels, and ice masses. Understand how these rapid physical, chemical, and biological changes to the Earth's stratigraphic record justify the proposal for naming a new epoch - the Anthropocene. Gain insights into the extraordinary outburst of energy and productivity that has caused the Earth System to depart from its Holocene state in the past 70 years.