The Anthropocene Extinction refers to the nature of human effects on the environment causing what scientists are calling the sixth mass extinction. The collision between civilization and the planet’s ecosystem has resulted in the rapid loss of biodiversity and current extinction crisis (Wake and Vredenburg 2008). The socio-environmental issue of how human behaviors impact biodiversity is addressed in the documentary Racing Extinction which I’ve chosen to analyze (Racing Extinction 2015). The film was produced by Fisher Stevens and Olivia Ahnemann, and directed by Louie Psihoyos who is known for his work in National Geographic and the award-winning documentary, The Cove. Racing Extinction is supported by The Ocean Preservation Society (OPS)
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This age represents a new phase in history of mankind wherein natural forces and human forces become so intertwined, that the fate of one determines the fate of the other (Zalasiewicz et al. 2010). However, the major difference between the Anthropocene and the previous geologic ages is that the Anthropocene is ongoing and future societal change is currently still possible. Psihoyos argues “it’s like we’re living in the age of the dinosaurs but we could do something about it” (Racing Extinction 2015). This largely depends on the interplay of societal feedback effects that will either escalate or diminish the current changes in biodiversity. The concept of the Anthropocene could therefore be used as encouragement to slow biodiversity loss as evidence in legislation on conservation measures. Moreover, the five extinctions had different causes but shared the common factor of an increase in carbon dioxide (Racing Extinction, 2015). The current population growth, expansion in the use of fossil fuels, and biological effects of global human activity present the greatest carbon dioxide spike in the history of the planet (Zalasiewicz et al. 2010). The documentary largely focuses on marine ecosystems as they are centrally important to the biology of the planet. Our understanding of how climate change is affecting marine ecosystems is
This age represents a new phase in history of mankind wherein natural forces and human forces become so intertwined, that the fate of one determines the fate of the other (Zalasiewicz et al. 2010). However, the major difference between the Anthropocene and the previous geologic ages is that the Anthropocene is ongoing and future societal change is currently still possible. Psihoyos argues “it’s like we’re living in the age of the dinosaurs but we could do something about it” (Racing Extinction 2015). This largely depends on the interplay of societal feedback effects that will either escalate or diminish the current changes in biodiversity. The concept of the Anthropocene could therefore be used as encouragement to slow biodiversity loss as evidence in legislation on conservation measures. Moreover, the five extinctions had different causes but shared the common factor of an increase in carbon dioxide (Racing Extinction, 2015). The current population growth, expansion in the use of fossil fuels, and biological effects of global human activity present the greatest carbon dioxide spike in the history of the planet (Zalasiewicz et al. 2010). The documentary largely focuses on marine ecosystems as they are centrally important to the biology of the planet. Our understanding of how climate change is affecting marine ecosystems is