{"id":110814,"date":"2023-08-17T07:59:00","date_gmt":"2023-08-17T11:59:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/?p=110814"},"modified":"2023-08-17T08:59:54","modified_gmt":"2023-08-17T12:59:54","slug":"anthropocene-epoch","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/anthropocene-epoch\/","title":{"rendered":"What Is the Anthropocene Epoch &#038; Are We Living in It?"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p>What is the Anthropocene Epoch? How big of an impact have humans had on the planet?<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>We might soon officially be living in the Anthropocene Epoch, a period in Earth\u2019s history in which human activity has changed the entire planet. It means we\u2019ve affected the planet as much as the asteroid that killed the dinosaurs and as much as the repeated Ice Ages.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Keep reading to learn how new epochs are declared and why some think we shouldn&#8217;t call this epoch the Anthropocene.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<!--more-->\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-what-is-the-anthropocene-epoch\"><strong>What Is the Anthropocene Epoch?<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Just like we divide a year into practical units such as days, weeks, and months, geologists break up Earth\u2019s 4.5 billion-year history into smaller, <a href=\"https:\/\/worldtreasures.org\/assets\/uploads\/documents\/Geologic_Time_Periods.pdf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">more useful chunks<\/a>. An epoch (pronounced like \u201cepic\u201d) is the second-smallest of those units: larger than an age, but smaller than a period. \u201cAnthropocene\u201d comes from the Greek \u201canthro,\u201d meaning human. <strong>Therefore, the \u201cAnthropocene Epoch\u201d describes a period of Earth\u2019s history that\u2019s defined by human activity.\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-human-impacts-on-the-planet\"><strong>Human Impacts on the Planet<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>Currently, the most highly discussed impact that humans have on Earth is <a href=\"https:\/\/shortform.com\/app\/article\/why-we-need-to-take-record-high-temps-seriously-shortform-explainers-shortform\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">climate change<\/a>: the rapid warming of Earth\u2019s atmosphere due to greenhouse gasses. Aside from causing deadly heat waves in many parts of the world, climate change is creating some of the worst droughts in recorded history, as well as causing tropical storms to be unusually intense and frequent.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Humans have also had devastating impacts on Earth\u2019s wildlife, so much so that some experts say we\u2019re on the cusp of the sixth <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nationalgeographic.com\/science\/article\/mass-extinction\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">mass extinction<\/a>. A mass <a href=\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/major-extinction-events\/\">extinction event<\/a> is defined as 75% of Earth\u2019s species going extinct within a relatively short time\u2014while we haven\u2019t reached that threshold yet, scientists estimate that we could cross it in <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nationalgeographic.com\/science\/article\/mass-extinction?loggedin=true&amp;rnd=1690654899469#:~:text=we%20could%20approach%20the%20level%20of%20a%20mass%20extinction%20in%20as%20soon%20as%20240%20to%20540%20years.\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">just a few hundred years<\/a>. Humans are driving these extinctions in several ways:&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><li>Overusing natural resources.<\/li><li>Spreading diseases and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/cost-of-invasive-species\/\">invasive species<\/a> through trade and travel.<\/li><li>Making natural habitats uninhabitable due to pollution.<\/li><li>Fueling climate change, as discussed above.<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>For context, the previous five mass extinctions were caused by cataclysmic events such as <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nationalgeographic.com\/science\/article\/mass-extinction?loggedin=true&amp;rnd=1690654899469#:~:text=The%20single%20biggest%20driver%20of%20mass%20extinctions%20appears%20to%20be%20major%20changes%20in%20Earth%E2%80%99s%20carbon%20cycle%20such%20as%20large%20igneous%20province%20eruptions%2C\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">massive volcanic eruptions<\/a> and the asteroid that wiped out the dinosaurs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-who-decides-this-and-how\"><strong>Who Decides This, and How?&nbsp;<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>The <a href=\"http:\/\/quaternary.stratigraphy.org\/working-groups\/anthropocene\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Anthropocene Working Group (AWG)<\/a> is a research team of experts in fields ranging from geology and geography to international law. For the last three years, this group has been working to determine whether there are grounds to say we\u2019re living in a new epoch\u2014and, if so, when that epoch started.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Based on their findings, the AWG has proposed that the Anthropocene actually <a href=\"https:\/\/www.npr.org\/2023\/07\/11\/1187125012\/anthropocene-crawford-lake-canada-beginning\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">began in the early 1950s<\/a>. The deposits from that time period have <strong>large amounts of carbon from burning fossil fuels, as well as radioactive particles from nuclear weapons testing.<\/strong> In other words, that\u2019s when humans began having a noticeable impact on the Earth\u2019s composition.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Before it can become official, this proposal must pass through the AWG\u2019s parent group, the <a href=\"https:\/\/stratigraphy.org\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">International Commission on Stratigraphy<\/a>. If approved, it will then be presented at the 2024 <a href=\"http:\/\/www.igc2024korea.org\/2024\/english\/main\/index_en.asp\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">International Geological Congress<\/a> to be ratified by the larger scientific community.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-arguments-against-the-anthropocene-epoch\">Arguments Against the Anthropocene Epoch<\/h4>\n\n\n\n<p>Not everyone is on board with the idea of naming a geologic epoch after ourselves. Some scientists argue that <em>Homo sapiens<\/em>\u2014our species, which has existed for <a href=\"https:\/\/www.smithsonianmag.com\/science-nature\/essential-timeline-understanding-evolution-homo-sapiens-180976807\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">less than a million years<\/a>\u2014is barely a blip on the immensely long timeline of Earth\u2019s history.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Others say, according to the terminology that geologists themselves created, human civilization should be considered <a href=\"https:\/\/www.theatlantic.com\/science\/archive\/2019\/08\/arrogance-anthropocene\/595795\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">an event, not an epoch<\/a>. Although we\u2019re having an enormous effect on the planet right now, everything humans have made will get buried or decay to nothing shortly after we\u2019re gone; our creations will survive for mere thousands of years, whereas geologic time is usually measured in millions of years. In other words, <strong>they argue the changes that humans have made to the Earth won\u2019t last long enough to qualify as an epoch.&nbsp;<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Still other scientists agree that we\u2019re living in the Anthropocene, but <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nhm.ac.uk\/discover\/what-is-the-anthropocene.html#:~:text=Anthropocene%20and%20the%20Industrial%20Revolution\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">disagree about when it started<\/a>. Some place the start of the Anthropocene Epoch in the late 1700s, at the dawn of the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/what-caused-the-industrial-revolution\/\">Industrial Revolution<\/a>. Others say it began much earlier than that, when humans started practicing agriculture <a href=\"https:\/\/education.nationalgeographic.org\/resource\/development-agriculture\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">around 12,000 years ago<\/a>.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Although scientists have debated the idea of an Anthropocene Epoch for quite some time, for now we\u2019re officially still living in the <a href=\"https:\/\/ucmp.berkeley.edu\/quaternary\/holocene.php\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Holocene Epoch<\/a>. That will continue to be the case until (and unless) next year\u2019s conference ratifies the AWG\u2019s proposal.&nbsp;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>What is the Anthropocene Epoch? How big of an impact have humans had on the planet? We might soon officially be living in the Anthropocene Epoch, a period in Earth\u2019s history in which human activity has changed the entire planet. It means we\u2019ve affected the planet as much as the asteroid that killed the dinosaurs and as much as the repeated Ice Ages. Keep reading to learn how new epochs are declared and why some think we shouldn&#8217;t call this epoch the Anthropocene.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":8,"featured_media":110845,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[160,24],"tags":[727],"class_list":["post-110814","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-science","category-society","tag-articles","","tg-column-two"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO Premium plugin v24.3 (Yoast SEO v24.3) - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>What Is the Anthropocene Epoch &amp; Are We Living in It? - Shortform Books<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"The \u201cAnthropocene Epoch\u201d describes a period of Earth\u2019s history that\u2019s defined by human activity.\u00a0Some say we&#039;re in it, while others disagree.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/anthropocene-epoch\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"What Is the Anthropocene Epoch &amp; Are We Living in It?\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"The \u201cAnthropocene Epoch\u201d describes a period of Earth\u2019s history that\u2019s defined by human activity.\u00a0Some say we&#039;re in it, while others disagree.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/anthropocene-epoch\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Shortform Books\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2023-08-17T11:59:00+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2023-08-17T12:59:54+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/s3.amazonaws.com\/wordpress.shortform.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/humans-in-the-city.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"1124\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"740\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Hannah Aster\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Hannah Aster\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"4 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/anthropocene-epoch\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/anthropocene-epoch\/\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"Hannah Aster\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/f39f52830e4f7039a16e45d12354542f\"},\"headline\":\"What Is the Anthropocene Epoch &#038; Are We Living in It?\",\"datePublished\":\"2023-08-17T11:59:00+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2023-08-17T12:59:54+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/anthropocene-epoch\/\"},\"wordCount\":765,\"commentCount\":0,\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/#organization\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/anthropocene-epoch\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/humans-in-the-city.jpg\",\"keywords\":[\"Articles\"],\"articleSection\":[\"Science\",\"Society\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"CommentAction\",\"name\":\"Comment\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/anthropocene-epoch\/#respond\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/anthropocene-epoch\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/anthropocene-epoch\/\",\"name\":\"What Is the Anthropocene Epoch & Are We Living in It? 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