EVIDENCE of the Anthropocene is all around us. Even if humans were wiped out tomorrow, future scientists couldn鈥檛 fail to notice planet-wide changes: a surge of greenhouse gases, a mass extinction event, a layer of plastic in ocean sediments, and more.
One signal of the Anthropocene that often goes unremarked is our drastic replumbing of the planet鈥檚 fresh water. Our future scientists would note alterations in sediment flows, the sinking of deltas and, possibly, the remains of huge artificial structures across many of the world鈥檚 great rivers. Over the past century we have built dams at a staggering rate.
Dams bring benefits to humans but can be extremely damaging to nature. In recent years many have been demolished in order to alleviate the problems. But the cost is prohibitive, and new dams continue to be built. And so an alternative approach 鈥� making dams work with nature 鈥� is on the rise (see 鈥�Open the floodgates: designer deluges could save dammed rivers鈥�).
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This is part of an emerging 鈥済ood Anthropocene鈥� movement, which accepts that we cannot restore nature to a pristine state but must instead become better stewards of change. Dams offer an opportunity to show that we can live in better harmony with nature 鈥� and open the floodgates for more of the same.
This article appeared in print under the headline 鈥淒ams in distress鈥�
