Deliberate, large-scale action taken in an effort to reverse and mitigate the impacts of climate change. Thus far, geoengineering practices are only theoretical. There is legitimate concern regarding the unforeseen consequences of attempting to control the Planet’s climate. However, desperation could drive humanity to geoengineering as a last resort (Gates, 2021).

A slow moving, compact mass or river of ice which formed after years of snow accumulation. They are commonly found at high elevations or near the poles.  However, a warming climate has seen a dramatic retreat of glaciers leading to worries of fresh water availability in the future in addition to decreased planetary albedo.

The phenomenon of increased worldwide interactions and relationships due to human innovations in travel, infrastructure, and communications.

A unit of measurement used to assess the ecological footprint attributed to people or activities in relation to Earth’s biocapacity. A single global hectare is equivalent to the world’s annual amount of total resources needed to meet human production and waste assimilation per hectare of productive land / fisheries. Such data reflects the capacity that a specific region (or the world as a whole) has to fulfill a population’s needs. In context, the Global Footprint Network points out that “to live within the means of our planet's resources, the world's Ecological Footprint would have to equal the available biocapacity per person on our planet, which is currently 1.7 global hectares. So if a nation's Ecological Footprint per person is 6.8 global hectares, its citizens are demanding four times the resources and wastes that our planet can regenerate and absorb in the atmosphere” (n.d.). Within data from 2017, the average American demanded a footprint of 8.1 gha. So in a global context, if everyone on Earth consumed the same amount of resources as the average American that year it would require nearly 5 Earths to meet such a demand (8.1 gha / 1.7 gha= 4.76 gha).

The worldwide phenomenon of an increase of average temperatures as a consequence of the accumulation of greenhouse gasses attributed to human activity

A measured dramatic and rapid decrease within  environmental health indicators. The great decline is contributed as a byproduct of the great acceleration. Current trajectory of the great decline is expected to trigger a number of tipping points within the next century (Attenborough, 2020).

This is a Paragraph. Click on "Edit Text" or double click on the text box to start editing the content and make sure to add any relevant details or information that you want to share with your visitors.

A notion that suggests that life forms must graduate through nine stages, each more complex and difficult than the preceding steps, before mastering space travel / colonization. In ascending order those steps are: inhabiting the right type of planet / star system which allows life to exist, the presence of reproductive molecules (such as DNA or RNA), simple single cell life (prokaryotic), complex single cell life (archaeatic and eukaryotic), sexual reproduction, multi-cell life, advanced intelligence / tool use, an advanced civilization with the technological potential and ambition to colonize other planets / moons, and finally, colonization explosion. It essentially attempts to provide an answer to the Fermi Paradox which observes that despite the abundance of stars, planets, and moons within the universe, there remains zero evidence of life outside of Earth. Within the great filter, humanity is currently in the eighth stage: developing towards potential space colonization. However, the question remains if we are intelligent enough to avoid destroying ourselves in the process through war and environmental collapse (Alder, 2020).

An intergovernmental effort untaken by the African Union to plant a nearly 5,000 mile long wall of trees across the Sahel region of northern Africa in an effort to mitigate desertification and the expanse of the Sahara Desert (United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification, n.d.).

An economic system which places value on using resources within a sustainable manner (Attenborough, 2020).

The trapping of solar radiation within the atmosphere of a celestial body. This occurs naturally on Earth, allowing the planet to retain heat and regulate a relatively stable climate. However, since the Industrial Revolution, human activity has produced an influx of greenhouse gasses, allowing less radiation to be reflected back into space. Consequently, the world is now experiencing a gradual increase of global average temperatures, more unpredictable climate trends, and extreme weather events.

Gaseous compounds which allow The Sun’s radiation to penetrate Earth’s atmosphere, but prevents it from escaping back into space.  Excessive production of greenhouse gases such as carbon dioxide and methane are some of the biggest direct causes of climate change.

A monetary figure used to indicate the strength or size of a nation’s economy by considering the sum value of all the goods it produces over a specific period. GDP has been criticized for its strict emphasis on economic worth without consideration to the sustainability of its resources or the well-being of its citizens.

A collection of geological features and organisms that creates a living space suitable for an individual, or group of species, to fulfill the needs of providing food, water, shelter, mates, and raising offspring.

An urban or metropolitan area which experiences higher temperatures than its surrounding areas due to human activities and structures.

A period of excessive heat relative to the historical averages experienced in a specific area.

The present epoch, which began roughly at 11,650 years ago at the end of the last glacial period (Attenborough, 2020).

Earth’s sixth (and current) mass extinction event, directly attributed to environmental degradation caused by human activity. It is also referred to as the anthropocene extinction. According to a 2020 report by the World Wildlife Fund, “[globally], monitored population sizes of mammals, fish, birds, reptiles, and amphibians have declined an average of 68% between 1970 and 2016.” I will be honest: even if these numbers were exaggerated and are actually half this extreme (34%), this should scare you into action. Future generations depend on it.

Also known as the water cycle, this term describes the circulation of water throughout Earth’s surface and atmosphere. It includes processes such as precipitation, evaporation, transpiration, and runoff. As water is essential for life, nearly all life forms depend on the reliability of the hydrologic cycle within their environment.

A water conscious method of growing crops without soil through the use of nutrient enriched water.  It is celebrated for its ability to conserve the amount of water used when compared to traditional farming methods (Attenborough, 2020).

A plant or animal species whose population size reflects the overall health or conditions of a specific ecosystem.  For example, the absence of frogs within a wetland might suggest the presence of chemical pollutants because a frog’s semipermeable skin makes them particularly sensitive to toxins and changes in water quality. River otters provide another example of an indicator species. As apex predators, river otters rely on healthy populations of fish and crayfish for food.  However, if fish stocks decline or absorb toxins such as mercury, river otters will be one of the first species to disappear from the impacted area (Jerrett, 2019).

A period of history roughly between 1760-1840  in which the manufacturing of goods transitioned from human power to mechanized, mass production. This drastically changed the way humans lived and shaped the modern era. Among the many changes was an increase of people moving from rural areas to take factory jobs within cities. Commodities also became more readily available for a growing consumer base. But the increased production and money also came at a massive ecological cost. High levels of harmful emissions polluted the air, water and soil. Increased demand meant the extraction of more raw materials such as timber, minerals, and whale oil. For many nations, the natural world’s value was relative to how it could be exploited for economic and technological gain.

In environmental terms, a term used to describe a major influx of water which results in devastating flooding. For example, areas of heavy deforestation or wetland drainage lose their ability to accommodate heavy rains and thus overburden lakes and rivers with soil laden runoff. Another concern focuses on saltwater inundation, as climate change melts the polar ice caps, leading to a rise in ocean levels. Coupled with increasingly powerful storm surges, experts predict that within the next 100 years, hundreds of millions of people living in coastal communities worldwide will be displaced because of rising ocean levels while costing trillions of dollars in damage to structures and infrastructure (Climate Central, 2019).

A prominent database of over 134,000 species conservation statuses compiled by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN). Criteria is evaluated by considering the total number of living individuals, rates of population increase/decrease over the last 10 years or 3 generations, the reduction of geographic range, the fragmentation of population distribution, and probabilities of extinction. In ascending order of risk, the scale ranges from species of low risk [least concern (LC), , near threatened (NT)], species threatened [vulnerable (VU), endangered (EN), critically endangered (CR)] and finally, species that are extinct [extinct in the wild (EW), and extinct (EX)] (International Union for Conservation of Nature, 2021).

A specific species whose presence within an ecosystem heavily impacts and regulates the ecological stability for other plants and animals within the same shared ecosystem. For example, sea otters are a keystone species of the coastal areas of the Pacific Northwest as they feed heavily on sea urchins. However, when sea otters were nearly hunted to extinction for their fur, sea urchin populations exploded. Without their primary predator, the urchins feasted on kelp, leading to a large-scale reduction of kelp forest habitats, widely regarded as one of the most productive and dynamic ecosystems on earth (McKee, 2016).

Also known as a dump, a site where humans store their waste.  While landfills give us the luxury of removing our trash to “out of sight, out of mind” locations, they can wreak ecological havoc by poisoning soil and groundwater. They also create hazardous environments for wildlife which attempt to adapt to landfills as a function of their habitat.