Erle Ellis, geography and environmental systems, co-authored a recent article in Science about the beginning of the Anthropocene. The Anthropocene refers to the part of the world’s history where humans significantly impact earth systems.
The article reviews differing views on how to ascertain the beginning of the Anthropocene, with some claiming that the epoch started in the 1700s and others favoring a 1945 start date. The authors address the debate and recommend using the term informally in order to identify specific time periods within the larger epoch. “In this way, we could avoid the confinement imposed by a single formal designation, yet acknowledge the long and rich history of humanity’s environmental transformations of this planet, both for better and for worse,” they wrote.
Click here to read “Defining the epoch we live in” in Science.
Additional coverage:
- Did the Anthropocene Begin in 1950 or 50,000 Years Ago? (Scientific American)
- The year that humans first began radically altering the planet (Vox)
- Can Humanity’s ‘Great Acceleration’ Be Managed and, If So, How? (New York Times)
- New group seeks to timeline the Anthropocene—when humans became the dominant force on Earth (Phys.org)
