1. We'll Enter A New Geological Age
The term "Anthropocene" first started getting bandied about in 2000 as a way to describe the our current geological age. It refers to the massive impact that human actions have had on the planet, dramatically altering the environment on a similar scale to ice ages and weather systems. The Anthropocene is so far not an officially recognised term. According to most geologists, we are officially still in the Holocene epoch which is characterised as an interglacial period and encompasses pretty much all modern human advances so far. However, there are those who think that the human impact on global systems is now so significant that it goes beyond a contribution to the Holocene period and warrants its own classification. Classifying a new epoch is a tricky business but, in 2016, an international panel of experts will decide whether or not to formalise the Anthropocene. As global temperatures continue to rise, and with 2016 predicted to be the one of the hottest years on record, formalising the Anthropocene could be the thing that gives us that final push to move past our addiction to fossil fuels and into a new age of clean, efficient energy. Let's hope so, eh?
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