We live in turbulent times—the Anthropocene—where rapid changes occur in biophysical conditions driven by accelerating growth in human activity. New risks emerge from interactions at the interface of multiple systems, including climatic, ecological, political, social, institutional, infrastructural, financial, and technological systems. In a globalized world characterized by shifting patterns of inequality, new cross-scale interactions, and decoupling from ecological processes, altered disturbance regimes increasingly lead to shocks that were previously contained within a geographic area or a sector but now are becoming globally contagious. Global urbanization is a driver and accelerator of many of these processes.
“Anthropocene is the era where we now give priority to our personal benefits without caring about the pressure we are putting on the environment.”
Anthropocene is the era where we now prioritize our personal benefits without caring about the pressure we put on the environment. We are in an era where we humans think about ourselves without considering the environment and the effects of our actions on the environment. Climate Change, Global warming, Deforestation and others are all outcomes of humans’ actions on the environment. So as environmentalists, it’s a must for us to bring about true change in our environments through awareness creation and support for the judicious use of nature and its resources.
Can you tell us some of the drivers of Anthropocene?
Population is the major driver of Anthropocene. From the perspective of population increase, humans have increased exponentially over the critical past decades, leading to an increase in those dependent on the available natural resources. And this has adverse effects on our natural environment. There is a need to strike a balance between sustainability and urbanization or industrialization or technology in order to have a sustainable environment.
How do we ensure that Anthropocene is not on the high side while trying to get into urbanization?
Forests provide about four functions: provisional function, cultural function, regulatory function and supporting function. People are only knowledgeable about the professional function of the forest. And that is the solution to striking a balance. Firstly, it’s a thing of the mind. People need to get a shift in their minds. And this can be done through environmental education. More so, the roles of integrated water systems, Plastic recycling and waste management can not be neglected.
What are the roles of stakeholders in balancing Anthropocene and urbanization?
The stakeholders involved include the government, non governmental organizations and Individuals. The government has the smallest but the most impactful role to play through making policies and regulations that would support the environment. Non – governmental organizations are to embark on research to find a means of interconnecting both Anthropocene and urbanization. Lastly, Individuals should ensure they keep the environment clean in other to avoid environmental degradation.
Find out more by listening to the recording on EdenWorld Green Talk https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_-NStDfwQbM
