Ethan Geraci (M.Sc. Environmental Science) 4:00 pm - 4:30 pm

 

In 2000, atmospheric chemist Paul Crutzen and limnologist Eugene Stoermer proposed the Anthropocene Epoch as a new, human-defined unit of geologic time that would succeed the Holocene. Crutzen and Stoermer originally assigned a late 18th-century start date to the Anthropocene that coincided with the beginning of the Industrial Revolution. By 2009, the idea had gained enough traction to merit the creation of a working group within the Subcommission on Quaternary Stratigraphy (SQS) to assess the Anthropocene Epoch’s stratigraphic existence. In 2015, the Anthropocene Working Group (AWG) officially set a controversial, mid-20th century start date for the Anthropocene based primarily on radioisotopes from nuclear weapons testing. Despite nearly 15 years of research by the AWG, in early 2024, members of the SQS formally voted to reject the Anthropocene Epoch based on a lack of convincing stratigraphic evidence. Although it was rejected as a unit of geologic time, the Anthropocene’s place in academia remains unresolved. This presentation will cover a brief history of the Anthropocene Epoch in peer-reviewed literature, including official statements from the International Union of Geological Sciences (IGUS), and documents published by the AWG. Controversey around the Anthropocene’s start date, the requirements and processes behind defining a new interval of geologic time, key arguments in favor of the Anthropocene, and why it was rejected by the SQS will also be discussed. Further points of discussion include alternatives to the Anthropocene Epoch, reactions to its rejection from outside academia, and the Anthropocene’s future.