Colonialism did not just create slavery: it changed geology
by Robin McKie, Observer science editor from Science | The Guardian on (#3S024)
Researchers suggest effects of the colonial era can be detected in rocks or even air
It brought riches to Britain and many other European nations; played a major role in enslaving more than 10 million Africans; and created the first global markets in cotton, tobacco and sugar. But now colonialism has been accused of having an even greater influence. It is claimed that it changed the Earth's very makeup.
This is the view of two UK scientists who believe the impact of colonialism was so profound it can be detected in Earth's air and rocks, an idea revealed in The Human Planet: How We Created the Anthropocene, by Simon Lewis and Mark Maslin, published last week.
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