Anthropocene: The Human Epoch

Anthropogenic activity is human activity that impacts our environment. It affects much of everyone’s life, and when individuals are integrated within society, this anthropogenic activity is something we cannot detach from, because the gears of our world operate on consumerism and material possessions.

It’s concerning that there’s so little choice that an individual can make to halt the process of irreversible anthropogenic damage. We are all tightly woven into a system that is gradually and complicity pushing the limits of what our planet can sustain, and unless widespread systemic change can awaken at the policy level, and unless everyone realizes the urgency and gravity of this problem, we are headed towards stressfully worsening conditions.

Especially towards the end of the documentary, when the audience is shown the mass incineration of ivory, what do you feel?! Guilt. Frustration. Injustice. Helplessness. Anger. I felt similar reactions when viewing the logging old-growth forests on Vancouver Island. I grew up there and I’ve always found solace in the familiar forests, dense with Douglas Firs and Western Red Cedars. But on screen, they snap and just fall, as if as easily snapped as popsicle sticks. For people nearby, there is so much pain in losing their connection to the land. Practically speaking, this is kicking ourselves in the shins. Old-growth forests reduce ambient air pollution, control nutrient cycles, and maintain biodiversity in the ecosystem. Biodiversity contributes to well-being both physically and mentally… Are we really that self-serving?

If you’re a university student, chances are you can watch these beautiful shots and edits that we feel like we are obliged to pay for, and don’t deserve to see for free, actually for free! UBC students can watch this documentary on Kanopy.