This term was coined by Paul Crutzen and Eugene Stoermer in 2000 to refer to a new geological epoche to succeed or replace the Holocene. It comes from the greek anthropos, which means ‘human’, and cene which means ‘new or recent’.
According to the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), ‘the Anthropocene is a proposed new geological epoch resulting from significant human-driven changes to the structure and functioning of the Earth System, including the climate system’ (IPCC, 2018).
The term emphasizes the central role that humans have in global change and its effects on geology and ecology. According to evidence, human activities have produced geological deposits with distinct characteristics that represent the end of the Holocene and give way to a new era in the temporary geological scale.
The use, research, and debate of this concept in the academic sphere is on the rise, though it is seldom used in the press and civil society. However, experts that were consulted in the creation of this reflectary in Spanish agreed that this concept is key because it provides an ideological position of anthropocentrism against ecocentrism.
Finally, this term introduces a debate regarding the differentiated responsibilities that humans have in climate change and its effects. For example, some people argue that not all humans are equally responsible in this geological era or that human nature is not responsible for the environmental imbalances that we live, but rather the hegemonic socio-economic system. They introduce Capitalocene as a more appropriate word to name this new geological epoche.
According to the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), ‘the Anthropocene is a proposed new geological epoch resulting from significant human-driven changes to the structure and functioning of the Earth System, including the climate system’ (IPCC, 2018).
The term emphasizes the central role that humans have in global change and its effects on geology and ecology. According to evidence, human activities have produced geological deposits with distinct characteristics that represent the end of the Holocene and give way to a new era in the temporary geological scale.
The use, research, and debate of this concept in the academic sphere is on the rise, though it is seldom used in the press and civil society. However, experts that were consulted in the creation of this reflectary in Spanish agreed that this concept is key because it provides an ideological position of anthropocentrism against ecocentrism.
Finally, this term introduces a debate regarding the differentiated responsibilities that humans have in climate change and its effects. For example, some people argue that not all humans are equally responsible in this geological era or that human nature is not responsible for the environmental imbalances that we live, but rather the hegemonic socio-economic system. They introduce Capitalocene as a more appropriate word to name this new geological epoche.
References:
www.iate.europa.eu
Crutzen, P.J. y Stoermer, E.F. (2000). The “Anthropocene”. Global Change Newsletter.
www.fuhem.es
IPCC, 2018: Anexo I: Glosario [Matthews J.B.R. (ed.)]. En: Calentamiento global de 1,5 °C, Informe especial del IPCC sobre los impactos del calentamiento global de 1,5 oC con respecto a los niveles preindustriales y las trayectorias correspondientes que deberían seguir las emisiones mundiales de gases de efecto invernadero, en el contexto del reforzamiento de la respuesta mundial a la amenaza del cambio climático, el desarrollo sostenible y los esfuerzos por erradicar la pobreza [Masson-Delmotte V., P. Zhai, H.-O. Pörtner, D. Roberts, J. Skea, P.R. Shukla, A. Pirani, W. Moufouma-Okia, C. Péan, R. Pidcock, S. Connors, J.B.R. Matthews, Y. Chen, X. Zhou, M.I. Gomis, E. Lonnoy, T. Maycock, M. Tignor y T. Water eld (eds.)].
Photo credit: OSORIOartist
www.iate.europa.eu
Crutzen, P.J. y Stoermer, E.F. (2000). The “Anthropocene”. Global Change Newsletter.
www.fuhem.es
IPCC, 2018: Anexo I: Glosario [Matthews J.B.R. (ed.)]. En: Calentamiento global de 1,5 °C, Informe especial del IPCC sobre los impactos del calentamiento global de 1,5 oC con respecto a los niveles preindustriales y las trayectorias correspondientes que deberían seguir las emisiones mundiales de gases de efecto invernadero, en el contexto del reforzamiento de la respuesta mundial a la amenaza del cambio climático, el desarrollo sostenible y los esfuerzos por erradicar la pobreza [Masson-Delmotte V., P. Zhai, H.-O. Pörtner, D. Roberts, J. Skea, P.R. Shukla, A. Pirani, W. Moufouma-Okia, C. Péan, R. Pidcock, S. Connors, J.B.R. Matthews, Y. Chen, X. Zhou, M.I. Gomis, E. Lonnoy, T. Maycock, M. Tignor y T. Water eld (eds.)].
Photo credit: OSORIOartist