anthropocene
Our geological era
The Anthropocene is a proposed geological epoch defined by humanity's dominant impact on Earth's climate and ecosystems.
The term marks the period when human activity—industrialization, deforestation, carbon emissions—became the primary force shaping the planet's geology and environment.
Scientists debate when it began: the Agricultural Revolution, the Industrial Revolution, or the first nuclear tests.
We are living in the Anthropocene, whether we acknowledge it or not.
Planetary atmospheric transformation
- mass extinctionLarge-scale species elimination
- biodiversity lossReduction in species variety
- global warmingRising planetary temperatures
- deforestationLarge-scale woodland elimination
ocean acidification · habitat destruction · carbon emissions · ecosystem collapse · coral bleaching · sea level rise · pollution · nitrogen cycle
Distinct historical period
- stratigraphyStudy of rock layers
- sedimentParticles settling in liquid
- boundary markerObject indicating property limits
- golden spikeCompletion marker for railroads
radionuclide · core sample · geological time · sedimentary layer · fossil record · radioisotope · carbon-14 · plutonium-239
Transition to factory-based economy
- urbanizationPopulation shift toward cities
- agricultureCultivation of land, livestock
- fossil fuelsCombustible prehistoric organic deposits
- plastic pollutionEnvironmental harm from synthetics
nuclear fallout · megacity · land use · dam construction · mining · overfishing · monoculture · concrete
Capacity for autonomous action
- posthumanismPhilosophy questioning anthropocentric boundaries
- deep timeImmense spans of Earth's history
- sustainabilityCapacity to endure indefinitely
- nonhumanOutside our species
future generations · multispecies · entanglement · earthbound · human exceptionalism · ecological awareness · interconnection
Team for specific purpose
- start dateWhen something officially begins
- 1950Mid-twentieth century year
- Industrial RevolutionEra of mechanized production
- nuclear agePeriod following fission's harnessing
ratification · nomenclature · evidence · proposal · rejection · quaternary · terminology · contested
climate change
Planetary atmospheric transformation
- mass extinctionLarge-scale species elimination
- biodiversity lossReduction in species variety
- global warmingRising planetary temperatures
deforestation · ocean acidification · habitat destruction · carbon emissions · ecosystem collapse · coral bleaching · sea level rise · pollution · nitrogen cycle · desertification
epoch
Distinct historical period
- stratigraphyStudy of rock layers
- sedimentParticles settling in liquid
- boundary markerObject indicating property limits
golden spike · radionuclide · core sample · geological time · sedimentary layer · fossil record · radioisotope · carbon-14 · plutonium-239 · ratification
industrialization
Transition to factory-based economy
- urbanizationPopulation shift toward cities
- agricultureCultivation of land, livestock
- fossil fuelsCombustible prehistoric organic deposits
plastic pollution · nuclear fallout · megacity · land use · dam construction · mining · overfishing · monoculture · concrete · fertilizer
human agency
Capacity for autonomous action
- posthumanismPhilosophy questioning anthropocentric boundaries
- deep timeImmense spans of Earth's history
- sustainabilityCapacity to endure indefinitely
future generations · nonhuman · multispecies · entanglement · earthbound · human exceptionalism · ecological awareness · interconnection
working group
Team for specific purpose
- start dateWhen something officially begins
- 1950Mid-twentieth century year
- Industrial RevolutionEra of mechanized production
nuclear age · ratification · nomenclature · evidence · proposal · rejection · quaternary · terminology · contested · definition
- Cli-Ficli-fi, climate fiction, climate disaster, eco-fiction, ecofiction
- nature writingnature writing, Walden, nature poems, wilderness, nature journal
- Environmental Topicsconservation, biodiversity, extinction, climate change, habitat loss
anthropoceneHolocene
Current geological epoch
Pleistocene · Pliocene · Mesozoic · Paleolithic · Cenozoic
anthropoceneuntouched nature
Land unspoiled by people
wilderness · natural state · primeval · ecological balance · Edenic