Earth has entered a new geological epoch – The Costa Rica Nation

Washington, USA. UU.

Evidence that the Earth has entered a new geological era due to the impact of human activity are already “overwhelming” according to a new study by an international team of scientists led by the University of Leicester in England.

The entry into this new geological era, dubbed the Anthropocene, may have occurred the middle of last century and was marked by the massive consumption of materials such as aluminum, concrete, plastics and consequences of nuclear tests worldwide, according to research published in the journal Science .

To this must be added the increase in emissions of gases that have caused the greenhouse effect and unprecedented invasion of species other than their own ecosystems.

The scientists suggest in their study how human actions are measurable registered

In the Holocene human societies increased food production with the development of agriculture, urban settlements built and exploited water resources, mineral and energy on the planet.

Instead, the Anthropocene is a time of rapid environmental changes caused by the impact of an increase in population and consumption, especially after the “great acceleration” mid-twentieth century, the researchers said.

“Humans have long been affecting the environment, but recently there has been a rapid global spread of new materials like aluminum, concrete and plastic, which are making their mark in the sediments, “said Professor Colin Waters, the British Geological Survey said in the study.

Jan Zalasiewicz, a scientist at the University of Leicester is one of the leaders of the working group, he said that the burning of fossil fuels has spread through the air particles of ash around the world, to which must be added the dispersed radionuclides by testing nuclear weapons.

“All this shows that there is an underlying reality in the Anthropocene concept”, provided Jan Zalasiewicz by his side, also from the University of Leicester and director called Anthropocene Working Group, composed of 24 scientists.

According to the study humans have changed to such an extent the Earth system that have left a number of signs in the sediments and polar ice distinctive enough to warrant the recognition of the passage to a new geological epoch.

The Anthropocene Working Group raises this year to gather more evidence of this change to see if you can formalize this new era and provide recommendations.