Human Effect on the Ecosystems of the Earth

[Recusant]

A recent study provides evidence that appears to indicate that our species has been having a fairly drastic effect on life here for thousands of years.

"Scientists peg Anthropocene to first farmers" | Science Daily

A new analysis of the fossil record shows that a deep pattern in the structure of plant and animal communities remained the same for 300 million years. Then, 6,000 years ago, the pattern was disrupted--at about the same time that people started farming in North America and populations rose. The research suggests that humans were the cause of this profound change in nature.

[. . .]

"We humans have influenced the landscape, but perhaps for a lot longer than we had previously recognized," says Gotelli, a professor in UVM's biology department. "When we look at landscapes and say, 'this is pristine or unaltered,' that's not necessarily true. We may have changed the rules over a much larger scale than we appreciate."

[Continues . . .]

[No one]

And then one day the planet shakes of the human infection like a bad case of the flu. Eventually, there will be no trace of their existence.

[Recusant]

I'm fairly misanthropic myself, but I've found harping on about to be unsatisfying and uninteresting. The journey's the thing.

[Icarus]

When Egyptian civilization began, the civilization of the Sumerians had already flourished for at least 2000 years.  The Sumerians had reached a high level of culture by 3500BCE

Somewhere along the way humans began to exploit agricultural pursuits. It was easier and safer to use agricultural products rather than chasing down large animals with spears. There was the land called Sumer, later Mesopotamia, now the land mass between the Tigris and Euphrates. That area was verdant, had fertile earth and generous water supply. A community, over the years developed.  They grew all sorts of edible vegetable matter. The area expanded into many villages and many crop types.  ( the Sumerians had the grain and the ingenuity to develop the fermentation process that is beer) They were apparently a clever lot driven by practicality and necessity. There were annual floods so the residents learned to  build their houses on stilts.

As different crops were developed a system of trading was the natural order of things, one village to another, or one  farmer to another. There were some problems of course, human greed and ambition being what it was and is. It came to pass that a system of regulation became necessary, Even coinage made from clay disks was developed. Villages appointed leaders who oversaw the commercial aspects of the system. To enforce the common rules, it was necessary to have what we now call law enforcement and courts. The Sumerians did develop those things. To keep the villages all on the same page it was necessary to appoint an overseer and arbiter of the entire region. A head Honcho or ruler as it were.  People appointed those leaders by acclamation.  A quasi democracy was born. All that because of the efforts, cooperation, and practical judgment of farmers. 

They had their gods but Mohammed was a long time in coming. 

[Insoluble]

Yes I think that's OK, as long you don't bring up that anthropic involvement in mega fauna extinction thing again.  It never happened.

[Asmodean]

I saw a documentary with Sir Attenborough not so long ago, where he implied that early humans had a major role in the disappearance of large elephantides and such. (MWAHA! Evil.)

I don't doubt it, but is it necessarilly a bad thing? Bad is such a loaded word to use in this context... Regrettable is no better. In any case, why should we conserve the species? Perhaps humans are/will be the source of the Sixth Extinction, but... So what? Life on Earth survived at least five mass extinction events before, and it will likely survive us, if not in the same shape and form as we are used to.

...Or am I seeing an unreasonably big picture here?

[Crow]

...Or am I seeing an unreasonably big picture here?

Nope. The ability to manipulate the environment to the benefit of a species appears one of the primary characteristics of the most successful species. What I personally see at the moment is the metaphorical equivalent of defecating into the water well when we know toilets are available but we still choose the well because we are use to it and a bit of an effort to do all the sewage work.