Anthropocene
The Anthropocene is a proposed geological epoch that reflects the significant impact of human activity on Earth's environment and geological processes. The term, derived from Greek roots meaning "human" and "recent," gained traction in the early 2000s, particularly through the advocacy of Nobel laureate Paul Crutzen. Proponents argue that the profound changes brought about by industrialization, urbanization, and population growth warrant a distinct classification from the Holocene epoch, which has been in place for approximately 12,000 years. Key debates focus on when this new epoch should be considered to have begun, with suggestions ranging from the rise of agriculture thousands of years ago to the mid-20th century atomic age.
Despite widespread support within the scientific community, the proposal faced rejection from the International Union of Geological Sciences in 2024, as many geologists believe that significant geological changes attributed to human activity can be traced back much further. The discussion encompasses various aspects of human influence, including carbon emissions, pollution, and alterations to ecosystems. The discourse surrounding the Anthropocene highlights both the urgency of addressing human-induced environmental changes and the complexity of categorizing geological time.
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Anthropocene
Anthropocene is the suggested name of an epoch, or geological timespan, that scientists use to characterize the impact human activity has had on Earth's environment. The proposal of the new epoch was based on scientific evidence showing how humans have drastically altered global geological processes. Although the epoch was firmly rejected by geologists in 2024, the Anthropocene had received widespread support from the scientific community. The debate surrounding the Anthropocene centered on whether the strata, or internal layers, within sedimentary rock have changed significantly enough to warrant a new geological age. These changes would have to differ greatly from the strata associated with the Holocene epoch, which is what scientists refer to as the epoch that has continued into the mid-2020s. Proponents of the Anthropocene believed the atomic age of the mid-twentieth century should have been marked as the beginning of the period. Some groups felt that the epoch should account for earlier human activity such as the spread of agriculture and deforestation, intercontinental exchange of species, the Industrial Revolution of the nineteenth century, and the large-scale population growth of the twentieth century.
Background
Scientists began acknowledging the potential effects human activity may have on the geological processes of Earth as early as 1873. Italian geologist Antonio Stoppani was one of the first geologists to discuss the potential threat humans posed to their planet, using the phrase Anthropozoic era to refer to humanity's growing influence on the environment. Russian geochemist Vladimir Vernadsky and French philosopher and geology enthusiast Pierre Teilhard de Chardin also recognized the increasing impact of mankind when they described the evolutionary development of human brain power and its inevitable effect on the future of the environment in the 1920s.
Twentieth-century scholars were also becoming keenly aware of the rapid increase in the world's population over the last few centuries. As the population grew, so did the demand for Earth's resources. By the mid-twentieth century, carbon dioxide emissions had greatly accelerated. These emissions created changes in Earth's atmosphere, with average global temperatures speedily rising over the next several decades. A rapid rise in the sea level due to rising global temperatures and melting glaciers concerned scientists, as rising sea levels put both coastal populations and marine ecosystems at risk.
By the twenty-first century, geologists began taking these reported changes even more seriously. Experts agreed that Earth's geological changes had become profound enough to warrant a new epoch. In the early 2000s, atmospheric chemist and Nobel laureate Paul Crutzen began popularizing the term Anthropocene to describe this new age of geological change caused by human actions. The name derived from the Greek roots anthropo- (human) and –cene (recent). Crutzen and his colleagues agreed that the last few centuries had put Earth's ecosystem on an altered trajectory and the planet's geological structure had fundamentally changed as a result. A number of scientists in favor of the Anthropocene switchover believed the start date for the epoch should be rooted in the Industrial Revolution of the 1800s or the atomic age of the 1950s. Many scientists specializing in the study of rock layers disagreed, however, noting that geological epochs must be characterized by evident changes in the strata, or layers, of rocks. Rock strata changes are evident as far back as 900 CE, more than 10,000 years into the Holocene epoch.
Despite these differences, the majority of the geological community concurred that a new epoch was a necessity. Although meetings were held by the International Union of Geological Sciences (IUGS) to discuss the introduction of the Anthropocene, the epoch had yet to be ratified as of 2016.
Overview
Geologists and paleontologists study the changes in Earth's geological structure over time and use a system of measurement called the geological timescale to distinguish the planet's stratigraphic history. By studying and differentiating the varying patterns found in rock layers, scientists can better understand the geological progressions of Earth's physical structure. The geological timescale is divided into several tiers of measurement, including ages, epochs, periods, eras, and eons. Each tier defines a specific span of time. Epochs are measured in tens of millions of years. Prior to the suggestion of the new Anthropocene epoch, Earth was existing within the Holocene epoch for nearly 12,000 years. The Holocene epoch is defined as beginning in approximately 9,700 BCE and is characterized by the evolution and impact of humans on the planet.
The proposed Anthropocene epoch is characterized by the rapid and detrimental impact human activity has had on Earth in the last few centuries. Humans have directly affected more than 80 percent of the planet's viable land surface. This activity has impacted everything from the stability of Earth's ecosystems to the geochemistry of the planet's atmosphere and oceans. The exact beginning of this epoch is a subject of debate, but most agree that it must be defined by the stratigraphic (biological and chemical) markers distinctive of all geological epochs. Some argue that the Anthropocene should begin with the introduction of agriculture and the agricultural methods developed in its wake, such as rice paddy irrigation and deforestation. Stratigraphic evidence shows significant increases in carbon dioxide emissions as early as 8,000 years ago. Other experts believe the Industrial Revolution of the nineteenth century should mark the beginning of the Anthropocene, as this period exhibited massive increases in fossil fuel emissions.
Still others believe the Anthropocene epoch should begin even later, with the advent of atomic weaponry in the 1940s and 1950s. The use of atomic weapons left a radioactive signature over the Earth's sediment. This period coincided with monumental increases in the human population, leading to a higher demand of earthly resources such as water and soil, as well as fossil fuel–produced energy. Pollution also soared during this time as mass-produced items made of unrecyclable plastic were casually discarded.
The lack of consensus regarding the beginning date of the Anthropocene epoch led to a repeated delay of its official adoption by the IUGS. However, the IUGS announced in 2024 that geologists voting on the issue rejected a proposal to designate the period from 1952 onward as the Anthropocene, which would indicate the beginning of the time when humans began changing the planet. The date would have provided an ending to the Holocene epoch, a time with a stable climate when civilization arose. One reason for the rejection of the proposal was that the geologists felt that humans have impacted Earth for a much longer time.
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