Earth to Humans: Thanks a lot, Jack

Technology Impact Ushers in New Geological Epoch

It’s called Anthropocene and it marks the end of the 11,700 year old Holecene epoch. Please don’t assume there’s a celebratory tone in this article. Because there’ll be now a layer of rock which carries traces of Plutonium, the radioactive element used to manufacture nuclear weapons. An historical record of when we first thought it was okay to kill hundreds of thousands of our own kin in one blinding flash.

Imagine, in say 20,000 years’ time, whoever is left on Earth will be able to point to the fifties generation as the tipping point of everything that went wrong.

Later generations, including the one you’re in, will also share the blame because we did nothing to stop it. Scientists have known about this evidence of human misbehaviour for some time now. Now it just needs three more high powered signatures to ratify this new geological epoch.

For some bizarre reason the rush of human activity in matters of technology is known as ‘the great accelerator’.  ‘Golden Spike’ is another term. Well, I have a better description that carries no such positive adjectives. Not mine, the description exists already. How about the ‘threshold of irreversibility’. It’s a term that was once used to describe the consequences of human non-accountability in their actions.

Except it appears action is the wrong word. Inaction is far more appropriate. Because we’ve lacked the capacity or inclination en masse to right our wrongs. Yes, yes, we all know about the 127 versions of Vision 2030 and the 17 UN sustainability goals and green hydrogen and and and. But while we still have nuclear sabre-rattling, probable genocide and rainforest destruction etc. etc., the fact remains we continue to execute a mutually-assured scorched earth policy.

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