anthropogenic
Caused by people
Anthropogenic describes things caused or produced by human activity, especially environmental changes.
The term appears most frequently in climate science, where anthropogenic emissions or anthropogenic warming refers to greenhouse gases and temperature increases resulting from burning fossil fuels, deforestation, and industrial processes.
Scientists distinguish between natural climate variation and anthropogenic effects to clarify humanity's role in environmental change.
Substances released into air
- contaminationIntroduction of impurities
- toxinsHarmful biological substances
- smogSunlight-activated urban pollution
- particulatesMinute airborne solids or droplets
pesticides · industrial waste · effluent · acid rain · oil spill · heavy metals · plastics · microplastics
Emissions that trap heat
- carbon emissionsReleased greenhouse gases
- global warmingRising planetary temperatures
- temperature riseIncrease in heat level
- sea level riseIncreasing ocean surface height
ice melt · fossil fuels · methane · nitrous oxide · CFCs · ozone depletion · carbon dioxide · carbon cycle
Eliminating natural living spaces
- biodiversity lossReduction in species variety
- extinctionComplete vanishing of a species
- deforestationLarge-scale woodland elimination
- overfishingUnsustainable marine harvest
overhunting · invasive species · soil erosion · resource depletion · desertification · eutrophication · coral bleaching · habitat fragmentation
Transition to factory-based economy
- urbanizationPopulation shift toward cities
- agricultureCultivation of land, livestock
- miningExtracting earth's resources
- manufacturingIndustrial product creation
infrastructure · transportation · energy consumption · resource extraction · intensive farming · construction · logging · damming
emissions
Substances released into air
- contaminationIntroduction of impurities
- toxinsHarmful biological substances
- smogSunlight-activated urban pollution
particulates · pesticides · industrial waste · effluent · acid rain · oil spill · heavy metals · plastics · microplastics · chemical runoff
greenhouse gases
Emissions that trap heat
- carbon emissionsReleased greenhouse gases
- global warmingRising planetary temperatures
- temperature riseIncrease in heat level
sea level rise · ice melt · fossil fuels · methane · nitrous oxide · CFCs · ozone depletion · carbon dioxide · carbon cycle · ocean acidification
habitat destruction
Eliminating natural living spaces
- biodiversity lossReduction in species variety
- extinctionComplete vanishing of a species
- deforestationLarge-scale woodland elimination
overfishing · overhunting · invasive species · soil erosion · resource depletion · desertification · eutrophication · coral bleaching · habitat fragmentation · groundwater depletion
industrialization
Transition to factory-based economy
- urbanizationPopulation shift toward cities
- agricultureCultivation of land, livestock
- miningExtracting earth's resources
manufacturing · infrastructure · transportation · energy consumption · resource extraction · intensive farming · construction · logging · damming · dredging
- Human Impacthuman impact, carbon footprint, ecological footprint, climate change, global warming
- climateclimate change, climate, weather, global warming, temperature
- Carbon Cyclecarbon cycle, carbon dioxide, CO2, photosynthesis, respiration
pathogen, photogenic, anthropoid, anthropomorphic, anthropologist, anthropological, carcinogenic, biogenic, anthropocentric