“Earth is a sinusoidal signal in velocity with a period of a year, and an amplitude of 10 cm/s,” an astronomer informs us. An atomic physicist however describes Earth “an astronomical body whose surface seems to contain almost every atom from the periodic table”. According to the evolutionary plant biologist, Earth has been a “home for the evolution of life for more than three billion years”. A philosopher explains to the question that Earth can be described as a space in which “human freedom leads us to wonder at the laws of physics and biology while asking why”.
The approach to geology is to analyze the globe to identify distinctive features. Geoscientists wonder what is the reason that mineral resources are extremely scarce and distributed unevenly across continents? What determines the form of mountains and the seafloor as well as the periodic fluctuations of the climate that can last for decades or thousands of years?
Are the patterns and structure that our world is the only one within the Solar System? To create the vast global history Geoscientists are looking for clues to the past as well as the origins of everything we seetoday: continents, magnetic fields as well as ice-caps and soils as well as the minerals of the core and deep mantle. We assign them a name and a date, then we organize them in chronological order. The result is nothing other than a simple definition. Instead it is evident that we are finding Earth becoming increasingly challenging to describe.
The main reason is the fact that the Earth is constantly changing and subject to a variety of changes on all levels. Everything around us including glaciers, atmospheric oxygen soils, atmospheric oxygen, and even the continents appeared, smelled and behaved in a different way throughout many millions of years. For instance, Antarctica’s glacier cap only formed approximately 30-40 million years old. even soils made of minerals and organic matter were not present before algae and roots of plants took over the terrestrial ecosystem 300-500 million years ago.
What’s Earth and why is it so difficult to define
A further reason Earth is so difficult to understand is the fact the fact that it has been shaped by the development of life forms. Think about the quantity of liquid water and the long-lasting nature of plate tectonics, as well as the diversity and quantity of organic matter that are in contact with the environment that is bathed by reactive oxygen. These are among Earth’s most distinct characteristics but they’re all directly or indirectly living things. Oxygen and ozone began to build up in the air around 2.3 or 2.4 billion years ago. This was just after the development of oxygen-producing bacteria that produced dioxygen to eliminate.
In the process, water was sealed on our planet, rather than slowingly escaping into space like was the case with Venus. Since water is vital for the maintenance of active tectonics our planet’s peculiar dynamic may be linked to the longevity of photosynthesis life. As we enter the Anthropocene our species are also becoming an element of the earth. In the present, we release within a matter of days what is equivalent to an entire year of volcanic CO2 emissions, without compensating the sinks; consequently, CO2 is accumulating in the ocean, atmosphere and biosphere at an alarming rate. The signs of this imbalance are rapid temperature rises in the atmosphere as well as ocean acidification and deoxygenation.
As biological life is a major factor in the development in the Earth system in general The Earth system directs and shapes the development of life on earth. Climate-controlled continents provide essential nutrients needed by organisms to develop and the environmental changes act as an agent of selective selection that determines the structure, composition of elements and development of ecosystems at the most molecular scales. The long-term decrease in atmospheric CO2 has encouraged the creation of novel high-efficiency biological pathways to convert atmospheric CO2 into organic molecules. These pathways are driving the grassland ecosystems of steppes across Eurasia and America in the present.
Another explanation for what’s on Earth could be it is that Earth is an interconnected , multi-faceted system with many feedbacks running across a range of timescales, in the range of seconds up to trillions which link the biosphere to the geosphere. While we don’t know about the system but it is clear that human beings modify it in a speedy manner. However, change isn’t new to Earth. The evolution of photosynthesis using oxygen 2.4 billion years back, as well as the growth of terrestrial plants, hundreds of millions of years ago, has literally changed the face of the planet. Just like bacteria humans, humans have altered and altered the carbon cycle through accumulating technological power, systematically harvesting energy and dispersing pollution into the environment.
What’s the latest? The fact that we’re doing our best to be conscious, and that we’re ineffective when faced with the new challenges facing our planet and are unable to change our preconceived notions of success behavior. In 2015 we were able to see that the United Nations adopted 17 Sustainable Development Goals, which include targets related to poverty, education , and the environment. These goals highlight the gap between what that we really want and the reality we’ve created. As we wrestle with these issues, while being plunged into the Fourth Industrial Revolution there is a growing awareness that the solution might not be found in our technological advancements rather than our connection to them.
As part of an increasingly interconnected Earth ecosystem, the most valuable advantage is our ability to make connections even greater. We can recognize worth not just in the rare resources, as every living thing does however, we can also see value in the works of art and knowledge as well as in the wellbeing of our current or future ecological systems as well as within the daily lives of people from across the world.
Our ability to create not only physical , but also emotional and intellectual bonds alters everything, as it lets us choose our actions and look after our own home, the Earth. The first time ever in history of geology it is possible to refrain collectively from exercising the power we possess, and are able to act without any other motive than the proper choice. This is the domain of ethics, as well as the duty of people as well as society at large.
Change in our direction will be a challenge because we are relying on a lack of information, face real and imagined social pressures and we are faced with multiple demands on our time and resources. Change will require a creative collective efforts and a willingness to work from within to alter the systems that we have constructed. Fortunately, we can flourish when faced with challenges by embracing the power of compassion, agency, and perseverance.
Two centuries later, after the start of the Industrial Revolution, hundreds of millions of people still suffer hunger, and our oceans “warm, turn sour and the air becomes unbreathable” This is due to the fact that we’ve mostly resigned our destiny to the things we’re capable of instead of establishing it on the ideals that are beneficial for everyone. In this way, it is clear that the majority of our issues show an inability to think big from our side, rather than the opposite, an overabundance of it. In the geological perspective it is apparent that the major change of the Anthropocene is only ethical. Should we be able to choose restraint?
