The Anthropocene, of course, is the name for the current, geologic epoch in which people control the climate, though only in one way: they make it hotter. By burning fossil fuels and raising animals for meat, humans release carbon dioxide and methane into the atmosphere, causing a planet warming “greenhouse effect.” We’re currently on a path to a temperature rise of 2.7 degrees F. (1.5 degrees C.) above pre-industrial levels within about a decade. Beyond that, there is significant variability in predictions since everything depends upon what mitigating actions are taken. If the production and release of global greenhouse gases stopped tomorrow, the temperature would continue to rise for a few more decades, and then begin to decline. If it continues, global temperatures could rise by as much as 10 degrees F. by the end of the century, a potentially cataclysmic eventuality. More

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