Question

To what are 21st century citizens of the world turning to in an effort to stop man’s negative imprint upon the planet?

Answer 1

Answer: We’ve pushed extinction rates of flora and fauna far above the long-term average. The Earth is now on course for a sixth mass extinction which would see 75% of species extinct in the next few centuries if current trends continue

Increased the concentrations of CO2 in the atmosphere by about 120 parts per million since the industrial revolution because of fossil fuel-burning, leaving concentrations today at around 400ppm and rising

Nuclear weapon tests in the 1950s and 60s left traces of an isotope common in nature, 14C, and a naturally rare isotope, 293Pu, through the Earth’s mid-latitudes

Put so much plastic in our waterways and oceans that microplastic particles are now virtually ubiquitous, and plastics will likely leave identifiable fossil records for future generations to discover

Doubled the nitrogen and phosphorous in our soils in the past century with our fertilizer use. According to some research, we’ve had the largest impact on the nitrogen cycle in 2.5bn years

Left a permanent marker in sediment and glacial ice with airborne particulates such as black carbon from fossil fuel-burning