[Rantman] New word: Anthropocene - use it to change thinking about global warming

[rPauli]

A tiny step in fighting global warming is to extend our language.   And 
thus expand our thinking.

We live in the Anthropocene era.     (an THROP' oh seen )

The old term was Holocene.   But humans have left such a mark on the 
world, finally defining our own geological layers - replete with 
radiation and pollution and massive mechanical leveling and building.

    The/*Anthropocene*/is a recent and informal geologicchronological
    <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Geochronology>term that serves to mark
    the evidence and extent of human activities that have had a
    significant global impact on theEarth
    <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Earth>'secosystems
    <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ecosystem>. The term was coined by
    ecologist Eugene Stoermer but has been widely popularized by
    theNobel Prize
    <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nobel_Prize>-winningatmospheric
    chemist <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Atmospheric_chemistry>Paul
    Crutzen <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paul_Crutzen>, who regards the
    influence of human behavior on the Earth's atmosphere in recent
    centuries as so significant as to constitute a newgeological era
    <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Geological_era>for itslithosphere
    <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lithosphere>. /-wikipedia/

This is important in changing our thinking about our world.   Humans 
have effected change, and formal geological organizations are seriously 
considering adopting new language - so it can officially appear in text 
books everywhere.

As we bring in the word Anthropocene into popular usage, we will grow 
confident that we can effect even more change.
I want to say we live in the early Anthropocene - rather than the late.

You can hear some intelligent discussion at 
http://radio.seti.org/episodes/Anthropocene_and_Heard
or download the podcast 
http://traffic.libsyn.com/arewealone/BiPiSci11-10-24.mp3

rp - 10-2011
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