1090. Significance of the Anthropocene Concept

Since the 1950s, human activities have led to a rapid rise in socioeconomic indicators such as world population, fertilizer consumption, and water use, as well as changes in indicators representing the Earth system, such as greenhouse gas emissions, resource exploitation, and biodiversity loss.

Starting in the 1950s, the Geological Society and other organizations have been discussing the Anthropocene as a new geological epoch, arguing that the influence of humanity on the Earth system is also reflected in geology. However, the proposal was rejected by the Geological Society subcommittee on March 5, 2024. One of the reasons cited was that the impacts of humanity on the Earth system need to be taken more broadly, including the context of the start of agriculture and the Industrial Revolution.

Nevertheless, the concept of the Anthropocene, which reflects the anthropogenic phenomena that have significantly altered the Earth system since the mid-20th century, is certainly useful for the natural sciences, social sciences, humanities, and policy. An August 26 editorial in Nature discussed the significance of the Anthropocene.

The term "Anthropocene" has already become widely adopted to describe, analyze, and interpret the social conditions in which we currently live. Among other things, it is employed by four different groups: First, the Earth science community that proposed the concept, and associated fields such as "planetary boundaries" that evaluate the impact of humanity on the Earth system. Second, researchers in the humanities and social sciences who analyze the impact of humanity in overcoming the forces of nature from historical, philosophical, political, economic, social, and cultural perspectives. Third, museums and works of art inspired by these concepts. Fourth, public organizations, policymakers, and urban planners who, based on the understanding of human impacts on climate and the biosphere, are responsible for managing, mitigating, adapting, and implementing policies.

Now that the concept of the "Anthropocene" has been rejected by the Geological Society, how should we use it? The editorial reflected on the scientific community's debates on the proposal and definition of the concept of the "Anthropocene" and proposed to use it from a common-sense standpoint.

In 2000, the concept of the Anthropocene was first mentioned by Paul Crutzen, a Dutch atmospheric chemist who won the 1995 Nobel Prize in Chemistry for his work on the ozone hole. This concept took root in Earth system science as it redefined the processes of global change that gradually altered the conditions of the Holocene.
(https://www.jircas.go.jp/en/program/proc/blog/20210525)　　

The authors argue that it is important to remember that Crutzen's proposal was not limited to the geological effects of the Earth (he had understood the anthropogenic impacts before the 20th century), but rather as a reflection of a systemic change that represented a departure from the Holocene, which was relatively stable in the long term. The concept of the "Anthropocene," which it claims to have started since the middle of the 20th century, is certainly consistent with the "Great Acceleration" and the transformational change in the state of the Earth.

By clarifying this point, the Anthropocene should help explain the development of energy production and global trade in the social sciences, where evidence from geology is a social problem, and in policy and international law, it should help us understand the premise that we live in a society where anthropogenic impacts overwhelm the functioning of the planet.

Reference
Jan Zalasiewicz et al, The meaning of the Anthropocene: why it matters even without a formal geological definition, https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-024-02712-y

Contributor: IIYAMA Miyuki, Information Program