How About That Technosphere

[puckhead]

In a new paper published in the journal The Anthropocene Review, Professors Jan Zalasiewicz, Mark Williams and Colin Waters from the University of Leicester Department of Geology led an international team suggesting that the bulk of the planet’s technosphere is staggering in scale, with some 30 trillion tons representing a mass of more than 50 kilos for every square metre of the Earth’s surface.

Professor Zalasiewicz explained: “The technosphere is the brainchild of the USA scientist Peter Haff – also one of the co-authors of this paper. It is all of the structures that humans have constructed to keep them alive, in very large numbers now, on the planet: houses, factories, farms, mines, roads, airports and shipping ports, computer systems, together with its discarded waste.

“Humans and human organisations form part of it, too – although we are not always as much in control as we think we are, as the technosphere is a system, with its own dynamics and energy flows – and humans have to help keep it going to survive.”

The Anthropocene concept – a proposed epoch highlighting the impact humans have made to the planet - has provided an understanding that humans have greatly changed the Earth.

Professor Williams said: “The technosphere can be said to have budded off the biosphere and arguably is now at least partly parasitic on it. At its current scale the technosphere is a major new phenomenon of this planet – and one that is evolving extraordinarily rapidly.

“Compared with the biosphere, though, it is remarkably poor at recycling its own materials, as our burgeoning landfill sites show. This might be a barrier to its further success – or halt it altogether.”

The researchers believe the technosphere is some measure of the extent to which we have reshaped our planet.

http://www2.le.ac.uk/offices/press/...19-now-weighs-30-trillion-tons-research-finds

We all love it. I know I do, but we could be in for a rude awakening if we aren't mindful of the consequences.

 

[BigRedRage]

I never really considered the weight we are adding to this space rock and the impacts that can have on everything too.

 

[BigRedRage]

Lol. After reading the actual article Im not sure how I got the conclusion i did earlier on the excerpt

Sent from my Nexus 6P using Tapatalk

 

[jf-08]

I never really considered the weight we are adding to this space rock and the impacts that can have on everything too.

Everything that man has ever created comes from this planet to begin with. Mass does not change except for the weight of the increasing population, which is infinitesimally small in comparison.

 

[BigRedRage]

Everything that man has ever created comes from this planet to begin with. Mass does not change except for the weight of the increasing population, which is infinitesimally small in comparison.

Yeah, I took that from the synopsis but then read the article and was like how the hell did I get that from the synopsis?

 

[Linderbee]

Everything that man has ever created comes from this planet to begin with. Mass does not change except for the weight of the increasing population, which is infinitesimally small in comparison.

Yes and no. If we're planting tree farms (as an example) and growing them, cutting them down, growing them again, etc, at a pace faster than they would naturally, then we're adding to the weight of the earth. But other than that, yes, the rock, steel, etc is all the same, just redistributed.

 

[Southpaw]

Everything that man has ever created comes from this planet to begin with. Mass does not change except for the weight of the increasing population, which is infinitesimally small in comparison.

Are you not aware of the runaway societal obesity factor?

 

[jf-08]

Are you not aware of the runaway societal obesity factor?

'murica