In a high-profile vote in March 2024,an international scientific committee chose not to support designating a new geological epoch,the Anthropocene[1].Prior to this somewhat unexpected decision,scientists spent 15 yea...In a high-profile vote in March 2024,an international scientific committee chose not to support designating a new geological epoch,the Anthropocene[1].Prior to this somewhat unexpected decision,scientists spent 15 years gathering abundant evidence for a shift in the geological timescale that would acknowledge humankind’s accelerating impact on the Earth,which they argued has already left a distinctive mark in the planet’s geological strata.While some will continue to work for formal recognition of the Anthropocene Epoch,others say the concept remains useful whether it is integrated into the official geological time scale or not[2].展开更多
This article is an insight into our lifetime and the enduring capacity of the planet—especially regarding water and space, in face of the Homines population growth. This is and will be recorded in the geological time...This article is an insight into our lifetime and the enduring capacity of the planet—especially regarding water and space, in face of the Homines population growth. This is and will be recorded in the geological time: once preserved as human fossils, we will be part of a chapter in Earth’s history. A brief taphonomic chronology is presented, from the emergence of humans to the domination of the environment and supremacy over other species, and also a concern on how much planet Earth can bear Homines neglects. The objective of this review is to show that the strata that contain human fossils change during the Anthropocene not only the human body but also its tools, resulting from its development. Four stages were identified as taphonomic phases: the first wave, when organic Homines fossils were preserved only with materials in natura, including natural artefacts. The second fossilization phase has occurred and still occurs with the urban Homines, a product of the proliferation of cities, including anthropogenic waste and diseases. The technology that we master today also belongs to our taphonomy: hydrocarbons, metals, plastic, radioactive elements—all fossilize together with the industrial Homines, representing the third fossilization phase, which is very close to the fourth fossilization phase, where our enlightened intelligence buries the technological Homines together with his world of digital waste and new viruses. How will we fossilize the future? This question makes us think about the behavior we assume today—who or what will go to the grave with us, which geological/environmental response will stop superpopulation, which extinction event will hold human proliferation? Which will be the mineral, human and waste components of our subsequent strata? How much water and space can we still use without causing a global environmental collapse?展开更多
Despite the massive efforts that have been made to conserve plant diversity across the world during the past few decades, it is becoming increasingly evident that our current strategies are not sufficiently effective ...Despite the massive efforts that have been made to conserve plant diversity across the world during the past few decades, it is becoming increasingly evident that our current strategies are not sufficiently effective to prevent the continuing decline in biodiversity. As a recent report by the CBD indicates,current progress and commitments are insufficient to achieve the Aichi Biodiversity Targets by 2020.Threatened species lists continue to grow while the world's governments fail to meet biodiversity conservation goals. Clearly, we are failing in our attempts to conserve biodiversity on a sufficient scale.The reasons for this situation are complex, including scientific, technical, sociological, economic and political factors. The conservation community is divided about how to respond. Some believe that saving all existing biodiversity is still an achievable goal. On the other hand, there are those who believe that we need to accept that biodiversity will inevitably continue to be lost, despite all our conservation actions and that we must focus on what to save, why and where. It has also been suggested that we need a new approach to conservation in the face of the challenges posed by the Anthropocene biosphere which we now inhabit. Whatever view one holds on the above issues, it is dear that we need to review the effectiveness of our current conservation strategies, identify the limiting factors that are preventing the Aichi goals being met and at the same time take whatever steps are necessary to make our conservation protocols more explicit, operational and efficient so as to achieve the maximum conservation effect. This paper addresses the key issues that underlie our failure to meet agreed targets and discusses the necessary changes to our conservation approaches. While we can justifiably be proud of our many achievements and successes in plant conservation in the past 30 years, which have helped slow the rate of loss, unless we devise a more coherent, consistent and integrated global strategy in which both the effectiveness and limitations of our current policies, action plans and procedures are recognized, and reflect this in national strategies, and then embark on a much bolder and ambitious set of actions,progress will be limited and plant diversity will continue to decline.展开更多
The world is changing at an accelerating pace due to increased human exploitation of the earth’s resources and the consequent climate change and biodiversity loss crises.As a transdisciplinary discipline studying the...The world is changing at an accelerating pace due to increased human exploitation of the earth’s resources and the consequent climate change and biodiversity loss crises.As a transdisciplinary discipline studying the coupled human and nature systems and their interactions,Geography has natural advantages to promote sustainable development.With the aim of stimulating sustainable development in the Anthropocene,the International Geography and Sustainability Workshop 2021 was held virtually during 23-24 November 2021.This editorial briefly reviews the development history of Geography,summarizes the presentations of keynote speakers,outlines the overall research framework,and discusses the future directions by which the discipline of Geography can be harnessed to advance sustainable development.The key outcomes are as follows:(1)The research paradigms of Geography are shifting from basic knowledge acquisition to understanding of coupling patterns and processes,and to the simulation and prediction of complex human-earth systems;(2)Landscape sustainability science and the metacoupling concept are emerging as new comprehensive research perspectives,and the framework of“Pattern—Process—Service—Sustainability”can be used as a basis to underpin Geography’s role in sustainability;(3)Geography can support sustainable development in many ways,such as in agricultural development,disaster and risk monitoring and early warning,global climate change mitigation,and in helping to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals(SDGs).Future research directions include:integrated geographical research on climate change and sustainable resource utilization;integrated geographical research on social and economic sustainable development;sustainable cascades of ecosystem structure,functions,services,and human well-being;metacoupling for sustainability;safe and justice space boundaries;the classification-coordination-collaboration approach;and geographical education for sustainable development.展开更多
Ongoing uncertainty over the relative importance of aerosol transmission of COVID-19 is in part rooted in the history of medical science and our understanding of how epidemic diseases can spread through human populati...Ongoing uncertainty over the relative importance of aerosol transmission of COVID-19 is in part rooted in the history of medical science and our understanding of how epidemic diseases can spread through human populations. Ancient Greek medical theory held that such illnesses are transmitted by airborne pathogenic emanations containing particulate matter(“miasmata”). Notable Roman and medieval scholars such as Varro, Ibn al-Khatib and Fracastoro developed these ideas, combining them with early germ theory and the concept of contagion. A widely held but vaguely defined belief in toxic miasmatic mists as a dominant causative agent in disease propagation was overtaken by the science of 19th century microbiology and epidemiology, especially in the study of cholera, which was proven to be mainly transmitted by contaminated water. Airborne disease transmission came to be viewed as burdened by a dubious historical reputation and difficult to demonstrate convincingly. A breakthrough came with the classic mid-20th century work of Wells, Riley and Mills who proved how expiratory aerosols(their “droplet nuclei”)could transport still-infectious tuberculosis bacteria through ventilation systems. The topic of aerosol transmission of pathogenic respiratory diseases assumed a new dimension with the mid-late 20th century “Great Acceleration” of an increasingly hypermobile human population repeatedly infected by different strains of zoonotic viruses, and has taken centre stage this century in response to outbreaks of new respiratory infections that include coronaviruses. From a geoscience perspective, the consequences of pandemic-status diseases such as COVID-19, produced by viral pathogens utilising aerosols to infect a human population currently approaching 8 billion, are far-reaching and unprecedented. The obvious and sudden impacts on for example waste plastic production, water and air quality and atmospheric chemistry are accelerating human awareness of current environmental challenges. As such, the “anthropause”lockdown enforced by COVID-19 may come to be seen as a harbinger of change great enough to be preserved in the Anthropocene stratal record.展开更多
Global closed basins,occupying almost one fifth of the world's land area,spatially coincide with arid and semiarid areas.Paleoclimatic proxies can indicate basin-wide environmental change and human activity.Howeve...Global closed basins,occupying almost one fifth of the world's land area,spatially coincide with arid and semiarid areas.Paleoclimatic proxies can indicate basin-wide environmental change and human activity.However,previous studies have not approached the use of proxies in the same way to reconstruct natural and anthropogenic processes at regional and global scales.Here we present a regional study to investigate the basic processes of paleoclimatic proxies,from a typical closed-basin system in arid China.We use multiple paleoclimatic proxies of surface samples and sediments,as well as groundwater and sediment ages to study environmental change and human activity.We then establish a dataset for paleoclimatic proxies from global closed basins and do a numerical analysis on it.Regional studies verify that human activity greatly impacts paleoclimatic proxies,especially with regard to surface samples,as well as groundwater age,but Holocene sediments are less affected.Results from global studies indicate that the major changing trend of the wet/dry status of closed basins is associated with the movement of the westerly jet streams controlled by long-term changes in winter insolation.There is an abrupt change between 1800 AD and 1900 AD,according to a numerical synthesis of paleoclimatic proxies from global closed basins,which can be linked to human impact.We suggest this time period can be considered as a start point for the Anthropocene based on the sedimentary evidence of closed basins,globally.展开更多
Since proposed in 2000,the concept of the“Anthropocene”has filtered through the geological literature(See Zalasiewicz,,et al,In Press,for a brief summary review).Inevitably,it attracted the attention of the IUGS whi...Since proposed in 2000,the concept of the“Anthropocene”has filtered through the geological literature(See Zalasiewicz,,et al,In Press,for a brief summary review).Inevitably,it attracted the attention of the IUGS which formed a Working Group of the International Commission on Stratigraphy(ICS)to examine it.Although the base of the“Anthropocene”is diachronous(Edgeworth et al,2015),the chair of the ICS Working Group on the Anthropocene has proposed that the“Anthropocene’s”base should be defined now by the isotopic signature of the world’s first nuclear explosion on July 16,1945,at Alamogorda,NM,(Zalasiewicz,et al,In Press).Other work(Corcoran et al,2014)shows that plastic garbage makes an anthropogenic global marker as well.展开更多
Urban Ethics in the Anthropocene:The Moral Dimensions of Six Emerging Conditions in Contemporary Urbanism Author:Jeffrey K H Chan Year:2019 Publisher:Palgrave Macmillan,Singapore ISBN:9789811303074(in English)Several ...Urban Ethics in the Anthropocene:The Moral Dimensions of Six Emerging Conditions in Contemporary Urbanism Author:Jeffrey K H Chan Year:2019 Publisher:Palgrave Macmillan,Singapore ISBN:9789811303074(in English)Several recent reports show how pertinent the issue of burgeoning urbanism is.A 2022 report posits that 75%of China's population will be urbanized by 2030 and Chinese policymakers will have a significant task in managing the heightened CO_(2) emissions(Sandalow et al.,2022).展开更多
Dear Editor,Coral reefs sustain high biodiversity and have been referred to as the rainforests of the ocean.However,anthropogenic stressors have led to a global decline of coral reefs,partly due to the increasing scal...Dear Editor,Coral reefs sustain high biodiversity and have been referred to as the rainforests of the ocean.However,anthropogenic stressors have led to a global decline of coral reefs,partly due to the increasing scale,frequency,and intensity of coral bleaching events driven by global warming(Henley et al.,2024;Hughes et al.,2018).展开更多
In current research on the Anthropocene, assessing the impact of human activities via stratigraphic records of sediments and demarcating the Anthropocene epoch globally are critical scientific issues that urgently nee...In current research on the Anthropocene, assessing the impact of human activities via stratigraphic records of sediments and demarcating the Anthropocene epoch globally are critical scientific issues that urgently need to be addressed. The northeastern Qinghai-Xizang Plateau(QXP), where humans first settled permanently in large numbers in the QXP, has varying sedimentary environments that are extremely sensitive to human activities. In contrast to other regions of the QXP, the northeastern sector boasts a richer array of climatic and environmental reconstruction sequences. This distinctive feature renders it an exemplary locale for investigating the stratigraphic boundary of the Anthropocene. Through in-depth analysis and integration of existing paleoclimate and paleoenvironment sequences in the northeastern QXP, we draw the following conclusions:(1) Throughout the past millennium, the impact of human activities on the environment of the northeastern QXP has become increasingly significant, especially in the past 200–300 years, gradually overshadowing climatic factors.(2) Since AD 1950,multiple physicochemical indicators related to human activities in the northeastern QXP have shown exponential growth,forming a distinct peak within the past millennium and clearly depicting the global “Great Acceleration” phenomenon and its development process.(3) Intensified human activities have driven swift environmental shifts and “decoupled” the interplay between climatic variations and the ecological environment, propelling the northeastern QXP into the “Early Anthropocene”from the “Late Holocene”. On the basis of the above findings, we construct a model suitable for identifying the stratigraphic boundary of the Anthropocene in the northeastern QXP and note that since the ecological environment in the northeastern QXP has entered the “Early Anthropocene”, the climate signals of certain physicochemical indicators in sediments are gradually becoming weaker, whereas the signals of human activities are becoming stronger.展开更多
A key scientific issue in the study of the Anthropocene is the determination of the corresponding stratigraphic marker in geological archives.The arid and semi-arid regions of Asia are the second largest dust source o...A key scientific issue in the study of the Anthropocene is the determination of the corresponding stratigraphic marker in geological archives.The arid and semi-arid regions of Asia are the second largest dust source on Earth,and their release,transport and deposition of dust affect global climate change,as well as marine and terrestrial biogeochemical cycles.Over the past~2000 years,human activity has outpaced natural climatic variability as the dominant control of dust storms in northern China.Thus,exploring the potential of anthropogenic Asian dust as a marker of the Anthropocene and its impacts on lake ecosystems may contribute to an improved definition of the characteristics and timing of the Anthropocene.In this context,we measured spectrally-inferred chlorophyll a from the sediments of an undisturbed alpine lake in northern China,and compared the results with dust storm data from the same cores and with regional climatic records.Asian dust is a widely distributed,globally significant signal of human activity,and it is also well preserved in various geological archives;hence,we propose anthropogenic dust can be considered as a potential marker of the Anthropocene.Anthropogenic dust signals in stratigraphic records during the past~2000 years differ substantially from those during the early and middle Holocene,which demonstrates that,at least since~2000 years ago,human activity has exceeded the natural forcing of dust transport in northern China.We therefore propose that there are spatial and temporal differences in the onset of the Anthropocene,as defined by anthropogenic dust deposition,which is therefore time-transgressive.Our spectrally-inferred chlorophyll a record is consistent with dust storm activity over the past~2000 years(except since the 1950s),suggesting that anthropogenic dust storms were the dominant control on lake primary production.Prior to the 1950s the interactions of the East Asian summer monsoon(EASM),human activity,dust storms and lake ecosystems resulted in a shift from a pattern in which“human activity outpaced the EASM as the dominant control on the Earth surface system”to one in which,after the 1950s,“human activity became the dominant factor influencing the EASM and the Earth surface system”.In the future this pattern may trend towards one in which there is the“sustainable development of humans and the environment”.We suggest that,in order to better understand the interactions of human activity,climate and environment,future research on the Anthropocene should focus on its time-transgressive characteristics and regional differences,in addition to the“Great Acceleration”展开更多
The emergence of the Anthropocene creates a new set of conditions for understanding the relationship between human power and the natural world.These conditions include an increasingly humanized and de-natured natural ...The emergence of the Anthropocene creates a new set of conditions for understanding the relationship between human power and the natural world.These conditions include an increasingly humanized and de-natured natural world,and greater responsibilities of stewardship for human beings.In current literature,there are diverse views on the meaning of the Anthropocene and the role of modem technology in future earth stewardship.Post-natural thought regards the Anthropocene as representing the end of nature,and thus appeals to disenchantment with respect to the idea that nature is an external moral norm.Although this approach correctly addresses the significance of locality and the mutuality between humans and the environment,it fails to provide us with adequate normative boundaries for preventing the endless artificialization of nature.Alternatively,this article defends the position that Confucianism is a more plausible philosophical ground for earth stewardship in the context of the Anthropocene.The Confucian approach is an inclusive humanism which is established on the cosmological ideal of realising the virtue of shengsheng生生(life generation)in all beings.Moreover,Confucian ethics draw much attention to the self-regulation of human beings as virtuous persons.This is indeed what is needed in the age of the Anthropocene.展开更多
Recent scholars’work in Vol 58 Issue 1（2015）and Cheng and Li’s paper in Vol 58 Issue 7（2015）in Science China Earth Sciences propose development of＂Watershed science＂by＂Bridging new advances in hydrological sc...Recent scholars’work in Vol 58 Issue 1（2015）and Cheng and Li’s paper in Vol 58 Issue 7（2015）in Science China Earth Sciences propose development of＂Watershed science＂by＂Bridging new advances in hydrological science with good management of river basins＂.展开更多
The 2020^(th) century was modernism’s century;a comparatively fleeting moment in which the human race’s transition to an urbanised species created an entirely new geological epoch:the Anthropocene.The existent...The 2020^(th) century was modernism’s century;a comparatively fleeting moment in which the human race’s transition to an urbanised species created an entirely new geological epoch:the Anthropocene.The existential challenge for our species in the 21st century will be to transform the modern city into a site of truly sustainable human habitation.This challenge requires us to engage critically with the past in a way that serves the needs of the future,globally and permanently.The Historic Urban Landscapes(HUL)approach,together with the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals and UN Habitat’s New Urban Agenda,offers a framework for meeting this challenge and,critically,to change our relationship with both the past and the future.展开更多
Microplastics are ubiquitous in the environment,eventually becoming part of the geological record as‘technofossils’.However,research on the chronological characteristics of microplastics remains limited.This study r...Microplastics are ubiquitous in the environment,eventually becoming part of the geological record as‘technofossils’.However,research on the chronological characteristics of microplastics remains limited.This study reviewed dating methods,microplastic abundance,and microplastic polymer type in sedimentary cores globally.Furthermore,the‘evolution’of plastic types was compiled in sequence,and a microplastic chronological sequence in the sedimentary record was established.This microplastics chronological sequence was applied to 39 published cores with micro-plastic polymer analysis.The sediment age ranges determined by microplastic type were found to correspond to the published ages,indicating that microplastics could be useful for dating sedimentary cores on a centennial scale.Furthermore,good preservation and limited mobility of microplastics in burial records make microplastic dating an effective supplementary dating method for determining ages of Anthropocene sediments.展开更多
Avian extinctions have been relatively well documented in modern history,and in the past millennia,more bird species are known to have gone extinct than species in any other vertebrate class.We examined the biological...Avian extinctions have been relatively well documented in modern history,and in the past millennia,more bird species are known to have gone extinct than species in any other vertebrate class.We examined the biological correlates of extinction timing among 216 bird species that recently were either observed to go extinct or dis-appeared since 1500 CE,performing a novel analysis for examining the extinction trends of birds by modelling traits against the number of years since present day during which species have been extinct.We analyzed a broad range of traits and characteristics that have previously been associated with extinction and extinction risk in birds and compared the effects of these traits simultaneously against one another.In order to provide a more comprehensive and robust assessment of trait-based drivers of global bird loss in comparison to prior studies,we included extinct species recognized by any of the three major avian taxonomies as well as those birds that lack recent confirmed sightings and are at least functionally extinct.We found that insular,flightless,larger-bodied,ecologically specialized species,as well as those with high aspect ratio wings,were likely to go extinct earlier in time.Besides identifying the key locations and time periods over the past five centuries where birds have gone extinct,and highlighting specific extinction-prone taxonomic groups,we provide a complete and unified dataset of traits used in this study that helps address the lack of extensive public data on modern extinct species.展开更多
As one of the representatives of Anthropocene fiction, Cormac McCarthy’s The Road focuses on the protagonists’ looking for hope for living. It can be inferred when analyzed with Tönnies’ theory that a communit...As one of the representatives of Anthropocene fiction, Cormac McCarthy’s The Road focuses on the protagonists’ looking for hope for living. It can be inferred when analyzed with Tönnies’ theory that a community is constructed within the relationship between father and son, together with other characters that are involved in the narration. Accordingly, the changing process of community is demonstrated in a progressive sequence of blood-geopolitics-spirit, revealing a sense of progression in an Anthropocene context. This paper analyzes and explores the process of evolution in three dimensions reflected in the novel: construction, crisis, and the reconstruction of community. It is considered that The Road conveys powerful calls of the yearn for the survival of the individual, which can be regarded as a reflection of the human condition in reality. Meanwhile, its distinct and full-scale evolution of community process expressed in the novel also presents a referentiality to the age of Anthropocene.展开更多
文摘In a high-profile vote in March 2024,an international scientific committee chose not to support designating a new geological epoch,the Anthropocene[1].Prior to this somewhat unexpected decision,scientists spent 15 years gathering abundant evidence for a shift in the geological timescale that would acknowledge humankind’s accelerating impact on the Earth,which they argued has already left a distinctive mark in the planet’s geological strata.While some will continue to work for formal recognition of the Anthropocene Epoch,others say the concept remains useful whether it is integrated into the official geological time scale or not[2].
文摘This article is an insight into our lifetime and the enduring capacity of the planet—especially regarding water and space, in face of the Homines population growth. This is and will be recorded in the geological time: once preserved as human fossils, we will be part of a chapter in Earth’s history. A brief taphonomic chronology is presented, from the emergence of humans to the domination of the environment and supremacy over other species, and also a concern on how much planet Earth can bear Homines neglects. The objective of this review is to show that the strata that contain human fossils change during the Anthropocene not only the human body but also its tools, resulting from its development. Four stages were identified as taphonomic phases: the first wave, when organic Homines fossils were preserved only with materials in natura, including natural artefacts. The second fossilization phase has occurred and still occurs with the urban Homines, a product of the proliferation of cities, including anthropogenic waste and diseases. The technology that we master today also belongs to our taphonomy: hydrocarbons, metals, plastic, radioactive elements—all fossilize together with the industrial Homines, representing the third fossilization phase, which is very close to the fourth fossilization phase, where our enlightened intelligence buries the technological Homines together with his world of digital waste and new viruses. How will we fossilize the future? This question makes us think about the behavior we assume today—who or what will go to the grave with us, which geological/environmental response will stop superpopulation, which extinction event will hold human proliferation? Which will be the mineral, human and waste components of our subsequent strata? How much water and space can we still use without causing a global environmental collapse?
文摘Despite the massive efforts that have been made to conserve plant diversity across the world during the past few decades, it is becoming increasingly evident that our current strategies are not sufficiently effective to prevent the continuing decline in biodiversity. As a recent report by the CBD indicates,current progress and commitments are insufficient to achieve the Aichi Biodiversity Targets by 2020.Threatened species lists continue to grow while the world's governments fail to meet biodiversity conservation goals. Clearly, we are failing in our attempts to conserve biodiversity on a sufficient scale.The reasons for this situation are complex, including scientific, technical, sociological, economic and political factors. The conservation community is divided about how to respond. Some believe that saving all existing biodiversity is still an achievable goal. On the other hand, there are those who believe that we need to accept that biodiversity will inevitably continue to be lost, despite all our conservation actions and that we must focus on what to save, why and where. It has also been suggested that we need a new approach to conservation in the face of the challenges posed by the Anthropocene biosphere which we now inhabit. Whatever view one holds on the above issues, it is dear that we need to review the effectiveness of our current conservation strategies, identify the limiting factors that are preventing the Aichi goals being met and at the same time take whatever steps are necessary to make our conservation protocols more explicit, operational and efficient so as to achieve the maximum conservation effect. This paper addresses the key issues that underlie our failure to meet agreed targets and discusses the necessary changes to our conservation approaches. While we can justifiably be proud of our many achievements and successes in plant conservation in the past 30 years, which have helped slow the rate of loss, unless we devise a more coherent, consistent and integrated global strategy in which both the effectiveness and limitations of our current policies, action plans and procedures are recognized, and reflect this in national strategies, and then embark on a much bolder and ambitious set of actions,progress will be limited and plant diversity will continue to decline.
基金supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China(Grant No.42042026,L1924041)Research Project on the Discipline Development Strategy of Academic Divisions of the Chinese Academy of Sciences(Grant No.XK2019DXC006)the Fundamental Research Funds for the Central Universities of China.
文摘The world is changing at an accelerating pace due to increased human exploitation of the earth’s resources and the consequent climate change and biodiversity loss crises.As a transdisciplinary discipline studying the coupled human and nature systems and their interactions,Geography has natural advantages to promote sustainable development.With the aim of stimulating sustainable development in the Anthropocene,the International Geography and Sustainability Workshop 2021 was held virtually during 23-24 November 2021.This editorial briefly reviews the development history of Geography,summarizes the presentations of keynote speakers,outlines the overall research framework,and discusses the future directions by which the discipline of Geography can be harnessed to advance sustainable development.The key outcomes are as follows:(1)The research paradigms of Geography are shifting from basic knowledge acquisition to understanding of coupling patterns and processes,and to the simulation and prediction of complex human-earth systems;(2)Landscape sustainability science and the metacoupling concept are emerging as new comprehensive research perspectives,and the framework of“Pattern—Process—Service—Sustainability”can be used as a basis to underpin Geography’s role in sustainability;(3)Geography can support sustainable development in many ways,such as in agricultural development,disaster and risk monitoring and early warning,global climate change mitigation,and in helping to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals(SDGs).Future research directions include:integrated geographical research on climate change and sustainable resource utilization;integrated geographical research on social and economic sustainable development;sustainable cascades of ecosystem structure,functions,services,and human well-being;metacoupling for sustainability;safe and justice space boundaries;the classification-coordination-collaboration approach;and geographical education for sustainable development.
基金supported by the Spanish Research Council (CSIC, Project COVID19 CSIC 202030E226)the Generalitat de Catalunya (SGR41)。
文摘Ongoing uncertainty over the relative importance of aerosol transmission of COVID-19 is in part rooted in the history of medical science and our understanding of how epidemic diseases can spread through human populations. Ancient Greek medical theory held that such illnesses are transmitted by airborne pathogenic emanations containing particulate matter(“miasmata”). Notable Roman and medieval scholars such as Varro, Ibn al-Khatib and Fracastoro developed these ideas, combining them with early germ theory and the concept of contagion. A widely held but vaguely defined belief in toxic miasmatic mists as a dominant causative agent in disease propagation was overtaken by the science of 19th century microbiology and epidemiology, especially in the study of cholera, which was proven to be mainly transmitted by contaminated water. Airborne disease transmission came to be viewed as burdened by a dubious historical reputation and difficult to demonstrate convincingly. A breakthrough came with the classic mid-20th century work of Wells, Riley and Mills who proved how expiratory aerosols(their “droplet nuclei”)could transport still-infectious tuberculosis bacteria through ventilation systems. The topic of aerosol transmission of pathogenic respiratory diseases assumed a new dimension with the mid-late 20th century “Great Acceleration” of an increasingly hypermobile human population repeatedly infected by different strains of zoonotic viruses, and has taken centre stage this century in response to outbreaks of new respiratory infections that include coronaviruses. From a geoscience perspective, the consequences of pandemic-status diseases such as COVID-19, produced by viral pathogens utilising aerosols to infect a human population currently approaching 8 billion, are far-reaching and unprecedented. The obvious and sudden impacts on for example waste plastic production, water and air quality and atmospheric chemistry are accelerating human awareness of current environmental challenges. As such, the “anthropause”lockdown enforced by COVID-19 may come to be seen as a harbinger of change great enough to be preserved in the Anthropocene stratal record.
基金The National Key Research and Development Program of China,No.2019YFC0507401National Natural Science Foundation of China,No.42077415,No.41822708+1 种基金The Second Tibetan Plateau Scientific Expedition and Research Program(STEP),No.2019QZKK0202The Strategic Priority Research Program of Chinese Academy of Sciences,No.XDA20100102。
文摘Global closed basins,occupying almost one fifth of the world's land area,spatially coincide with arid and semiarid areas.Paleoclimatic proxies can indicate basin-wide environmental change and human activity.However,previous studies have not approached the use of proxies in the same way to reconstruct natural and anthropogenic processes at regional and global scales.Here we present a regional study to investigate the basic processes of paleoclimatic proxies,from a typical closed-basin system in arid China.We use multiple paleoclimatic proxies of surface samples and sediments,as well as groundwater and sediment ages to study environmental change and human activity.We then establish a dataset for paleoclimatic proxies from global closed basins and do a numerical analysis on it.Regional studies verify that human activity greatly impacts paleoclimatic proxies,especially with regard to surface samples,as well as groundwater age,but Holocene sediments are less affected.Results from global studies indicate that the major changing trend of the wet/dry status of closed basins is associated with the movement of the westerly jet streams controlled by long-term changes in winter insolation.There is an abrupt change between 1800 AD and 1900 AD,according to a numerical synthesis of paleoclimatic proxies from global closed basins,which can be linked to human impact.We suggest this time period can be considered as a start point for the Anthropocene based on the sedimentary evidence of closed basins,globally.
文摘Since proposed in 2000,the concept of the“Anthropocene”has filtered through the geological literature(See Zalasiewicz,,et al,In Press,for a brief summary review).Inevitably,it attracted the attention of the IUGS which formed a Working Group of the International Commission on Stratigraphy(ICS)to examine it.Although the base of the“Anthropocene”is diachronous(Edgeworth et al,2015),the chair of the ICS Working Group on the Anthropocene has proposed that the“Anthropocene’s”base should be defined now by the isotopic signature of the world’s first nuclear explosion on July 16,1945,at Alamogorda,NM,(Zalasiewicz,et al,In Press).Other work(Corcoran et al,2014)shows that plastic garbage makes an anthropogenic global marker as well.
文摘Urban Ethics in the Anthropocene:The Moral Dimensions of Six Emerging Conditions in Contemporary Urbanism Author:Jeffrey K H Chan Year:2019 Publisher:Palgrave Macmillan,Singapore ISBN:9789811303074(in English)Several recent reports show how pertinent the issue of burgeoning urbanism is.A 2022 report posits that 75%of China's population will be urbanized by 2030 and Chinese policymakers will have a significant task in managing the heightened CO_(2) emissions(Sandalow et al.,2022).
基金supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China(42122045,U23A2036)the National Key Research and Development Program of China(2022-24,2023YFC3108800)。
文摘Dear Editor,Coral reefs sustain high biodiversity and have been referred to as the rainforests of the ocean.However,anthropogenic stressors have led to a global decline of coral reefs,partly due to the increasing scale,frequency,and intensity of coral bleaching events driven by global warming(Henley et al.,2024;Hughes et al.,2018).
基金supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (Grant Nos. 42171160, 42225105, 42071115, 41972193)。
文摘In current research on the Anthropocene, assessing the impact of human activities via stratigraphic records of sediments and demarcating the Anthropocene epoch globally are critical scientific issues that urgently need to be addressed. The northeastern Qinghai-Xizang Plateau(QXP), where humans first settled permanently in large numbers in the QXP, has varying sedimentary environments that are extremely sensitive to human activities. In contrast to other regions of the QXP, the northeastern sector boasts a richer array of climatic and environmental reconstruction sequences. This distinctive feature renders it an exemplary locale for investigating the stratigraphic boundary of the Anthropocene. Through in-depth analysis and integration of existing paleoclimate and paleoenvironment sequences in the northeastern QXP, we draw the following conclusions:(1) Throughout the past millennium, the impact of human activities on the environment of the northeastern QXP has become increasingly significant, especially in the past 200–300 years, gradually overshadowing climatic factors.(2) Since AD 1950,multiple physicochemical indicators related to human activities in the northeastern QXP have shown exponential growth,forming a distinct peak within the past millennium and clearly depicting the global “Great Acceleration” phenomenon and its development process.(3) Intensified human activities have driven swift environmental shifts and “decoupled” the interplay between climatic variations and the ecological environment, propelling the northeastern QXP into the “Early Anthropocene”from the “Late Holocene”. On the basis of the above findings, we construct a model suitable for identifying the stratigraphic boundary of the Anthropocene in the northeastern QXP and note that since the ecological environment in the northeastern QXP has entered the “Early Anthropocene”, the climate signals of certain physicochemical indicators in sediments are gradually becoming weaker, whereas the signals of human activities are becoming stronger.
基金supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (Grant Nos. 41790421 & 42071115)
文摘A key scientific issue in the study of the Anthropocene is the determination of the corresponding stratigraphic marker in geological archives.The arid and semi-arid regions of Asia are the second largest dust source on Earth,and their release,transport and deposition of dust affect global climate change,as well as marine and terrestrial biogeochemical cycles.Over the past~2000 years,human activity has outpaced natural climatic variability as the dominant control of dust storms in northern China.Thus,exploring the potential of anthropogenic Asian dust as a marker of the Anthropocene and its impacts on lake ecosystems may contribute to an improved definition of the characteristics and timing of the Anthropocene.In this context,we measured spectrally-inferred chlorophyll a from the sediments of an undisturbed alpine lake in northern China,and compared the results with dust storm data from the same cores and with regional climatic records.Asian dust is a widely distributed,globally significant signal of human activity,and it is also well preserved in various geological archives;hence,we propose anthropogenic dust can be considered as a potential marker of the Anthropocene.Anthropogenic dust signals in stratigraphic records during the past~2000 years differ substantially from those during the early and middle Holocene,which demonstrates that,at least since~2000 years ago,human activity has exceeded the natural forcing of dust transport in northern China.We therefore propose that there are spatial and temporal differences in the onset of the Anthropocene,as defined by anthropogenic dust deposition,which is therefore time-transgressive.Our spectrally-inferred chlorophyll a record is consistent with dust storm activity over the past~2000 years(except since the 1950s),suggesting that anthropogenic dust storms were the dominant control on lake primary production.Prior to the 1950s the interactions of the East Asian summer monsoon(EASM),human activity,dust storms and lake ecosystems resulted in a shift from a pattern in which“human activity outpaced the EASM as the dominant control on the Earth surface system”to one in which,after the 1950s,“human activity became the dominant factor influencing the EASM and the Earth surface system”.In the future this pattern may trend towards one in which there is the“sustainable development of humans and the environment”.We suggest that,in order to better understand the interactions of human activity,climate and environment,future research on the Anthropocene should focus on its time-transgressive characteristics and regional differences,in addition to the“Great Acceleration”
基金This study is supported by the China Postdoctoral Science Found(Project No.2019M660909)fund for building world-class universities(disciplines)of Renmin University of China(Project No.2019).
文摘The emergence of the Anthropocene creates a new set of conditions for understanding the relationship between human power and the natural world.These conditions include an increasingly humanized and de-natured natural world,and greater responsibilities of stewardship for human beings.In current literature,there are diverse views on the meaning of the Anthropocene and the role of modem technology in future earth stewardship.Post-natural thought regards the Anthropocene as representing the end of nature,and thus appeals to disenchantment with respect to the idea that nature is an external moral norm.Although this approach correctly addresses the significance of locality and the mutuality between humans and the environment,it fails to provide us with adequate normative boundaries for preventing the endless artificialization of nature.Alternatively,this article defends the position that Confucianism is a more plausible philosophical ground for earth stewardship in the context of the Anthropocene.The Confucian approach is an inclusive humanism which is established on the cosmological ideal of realising the virtue of shengsheng生生(life generation)in all beings.Moreover,Confucian ethics draw much attention to the self-regulation of human beings as virtuous persons.This is indeed what is needed in the age of the Anthropocene.
文摘Recent scholars’work in Vol 58 Issue 1（2015）and Cheng and Li’s paper in Vol 58 Issue 7（2015）in Science China Earth Sciences propose development of＂Watershed science＂by＂Bridging new advances in hydrological science with good management of river basins＂.
文摘The 2020^(th) century was modernism’s century;a comparatively fleeting moment in which the human race’s transition to an urbanised species created an entirely new geological epoch:the Anthropocene.The existential challenge for our species in the 21st century will be to transform the modern city into a site of truly sustainable human habitation.This challenge requires us to engage critically with the past in a way that serves the needs of the future,globally and permanently.The Historic Urban Landscapes(HUL)approach,together with the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals and UN Habitat’s New Urban Agenda,offers a framework for meeting this challenge and,critically,to change our relationship with both the past and the future.
基金supported by the National Science Foundation of China[grant numbers 41471431]the Fundamental Research Funds for the Central Universities[grant numbers 14280092,14370404]+1 种基金the Natural Resources Development Special Fund of Jiangsu Province[grant numbers JSZRHYKJ202001]the Nanjing University Innovation and Creative Program for Ph.D.Candidates[202101B041].
文摘Microplastics are ubiquitous in the environment,eventually becoming part of the geological record as‘technofossils’.However,research on the chronological characteristics of microplastics remains limited.This study reviewed dating methods,microplastic abundance,and microplastic polymer type in sedimentary cores globally.Furthermore,the‘evolution’of plastic types was compiled in sequence,and a microplastic chronological sequence in the sedimentary record was established.This microplastics chronological sequence was applied to 39 published cores with micro-plastic polymer analysis.The sediment age ranges determined by microplastic type were found to correspond to the published ages,indicating that microplastics could be useful for dating sedimentary cores on a centennial scale.Furthermore,good preservation and limited mobility of microplastics in burial records make microplastic dating an effective supplementary dating method for determining ages of Anthropocene sediments.
文摘Avian extinctions have been relatively well documented in modern history,and in the past millennia,more bird species are known to have gone extinct than species in any other vertebrate class.We examined the biological correlates of extinction timing among 216 bird species that recently were either observed to go extinct or dis-appeared since 1500 CE,performing a novel analysis for examining the extinction trends of birds by modelling traits against the number of years since present day during which species have been extinct.We analyzed a broad range of traits and characteristics that have previously been associated with extinction and extinction risk in birds and compared the effects of these traits simultaneously against one another.In order to provide a more comprehensive and robust assessment of trait-based drivers of global bird loss in comparison to prior studies,we included extinct species recognized by any of the three major avian taxonomies as well as those birds that lack recent confirmed sightings and are at least functionally extinct.We found that insular,flightless,larger-bodied,ecologically specialized species,as well as those with high aspect ratio wings,were likely to go extinct earlier in time.Besides identifying the key locations and time periods over the past five centuries where birds have gone extinct,and highlighting specific extinction-prone taxonomic groups,we provide a complete and unified dataset of traits used in this study that helps address the lack of extensive public data on modern extinct species.
基金This paper is an interim research finding of the 2024 institutional project of “Integration of Research and Teaching” at Jinling Institute of Technology: “Research on Individual Ethical Writing in Western Climate Novels” and the initiation project for high-level researchers at Jinling Institute of Technology: “Research on the Community Imagination in Contemporary British Climate Novels” (jit-b-202326).
文摘As one of the representatives of Anthropocene fiction, Cormac McCarthy’s The Road focuses on the protagonists’ looking for hope for living. It can be inferred when analyzed with Tönnies’ theory that a community is constructed within the relationship between father and son, together with other characters that are involved in the narration. Accordingly, the changing process of community is demonstrated in a progressive sequence of blood-geopolitics-spirit, revealing a sense of progression in an Anthropocene context. This paper analyzes and explores the process of evolution in three dimensions reflected in the novel: construction, crisis, and the reconstruction of community. It is considered that The Road conveys powerful calls of the yearn for the survival of the individual, which can be regarded as a reflection of the human condition in reality. Meanwhile, its distinct and full-scale evolution of community process expressed in the novel also presents a referentiality to the age of Anthropocene.
