ArticlePDF Available

Abstract

We explore the development of the Anthropocene, the current epoch in which humans and our societies have become a global geophysical force. The Anthropocene began around 1800 with the onset of industrialization, the central feature of which was the enormous expansion in the use of fossil fuels. We use atmospheric carbon dioxide concentration as a single, simple indicator to track the progression of the Anthropocene. From a preindustrial value of 270-275 ppm, atmospheric carbon dioxide had risen to about 310 ppm by 1950. Since then the human enterprise has experienced a remarkable explosion, the Great Acceleration, with significant consequences for Earth System functioning. Atmospheric CO2 concentration has risen from 310 to 380 ppm since 1950, with about half of the total rise since the preindustrial era occurring in just the last 30 years. The Great Acceleration is reaching criticality. Whatever unfolds, the next few decades will surely be a tipping point in the evolution of the Anthropocene.
Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission.
The Anthropocene: Are Humans Now Overwhelming the Great Forces of Nature?
Will Steffen; Paul J Crutzen; John R McNeill
Ambio; Dec 2007; 36, 8; Sciences Module
pg. 614
Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission.
Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission.
Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission.
Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission.
Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission.
Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission.
Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission.
... Since the Industrial Revolution, multiple processes have progressively unfolded, giving rise to the Anthropocene, with the rate of urbanization considered a key indicator [1]. Thus, cities have been crucial for the development of this new era [2] and possess the potential to reduce the current human impact on the environment [3] to help mitigate present risks and overcome future challenges [4,5]. ...
Article
Full-text available
In the Anthropocene era, climate change highlights the need to abandon the centralized energy generation model using large installations located far from consumption centers, and to move towards an urban energy transition based on decentralized self-consumption models—both individual and collective—and local energy communities. These approaches reduce emissions and external dependency, strengthening resilience, urban sustainability, and promoting energy justice and citizen participation. This work aims to develop a model for integrating photovoltaic solar systems in urban centers of high heritage value, combining the protection of cultural legacy with climate change adaptation strategies. A methodology is designed to integrate solar energy into urban areas while respecting cultural heritage in the most reasonable way possible. The proposed methodology consists of carrying out a characterization of the municipalities under study, considering legal, demographic, energy, and heritage aspects. Next, a territorial zoning is proposed that differentiates between protected and unprotected areas in each municipality. Visibility maps are developed to assess the impact of the installations by sector from the main visual consumption points, facilitating differentiated decisions to protect the most sensitive environments. In addition, specific measures are proposed, such as locating the installations in non-visible areas and using materials and techniques adapted to the construction typology, to preserve areas of higher cultural value and to implement energy communities and collective self-consumption outside culturally protected zones. This methodology is applied to two urban areas in the province of Jaén (South of Andalusia): Alcalá la Real and Cazorla, which, due to their different characteristics, demonstrate its versatility and adaptability. It is concluded that the transition toward decentralized models is an effective way to adapt cities to climate change, reinforcing social cohesion, contributing to the fight against energy vulnerability, and protecting historical heritage.
Chapter
This chapter first provides an overview of contemporary understandings of ecological crises, including climate change, as an outcome of human activity. It then describes how psychology has been co-opted into addressing this crisis, particularly in terms of trying to understand what factors determine more ‘sustainable behaviour’. This is followed by an account of a ‘social turn’ in literature concerned with climate change mitigation and adaptation. An analysis is provided of the ways in which ‘the social’ is foregrounded in that literature. Finally, more critical approaches to the intersecting social and psychological dimensions of ecological crisis are explored, and their relevance to critical social psychology considered.
Article
Four years after the Anthropocene Working Group (AWG) voted to work toward defining the Anthropocene series/epoch with a base in the mid-20th C, the varved sediments of Crawford Lake (Milton, ON, Canada) were selected as the Global boundary Stratotype Section and Point (GSSP) candidate. The initial major rise in activity of 239 + 240 Pu had been selected as the primary chronostratigraphic marker to define the base of the Anthropocene, but the precise year when this occurred could not be determined from measurements of samples combining multiple varves. Individual varves from freeze cores collected in April 2023 provide annual resolution for bomb radionuclides, allowing the varve age model to be refined, former assignments determined to have been 1 year too old. The increase in 239 + 240 Pu activities (calculated from atom concentrations of ²³⁹ Pu and ²⁴⁰ Pu measured using Accelerated Mass Spectrometry) of 0.0031 Bq/g between varves now assigned to 1951 and 1952 is consistent with the onset of thermonuclear weapons testing on November 1, 1952, so the proposed base for the Anthropocene is at the contact between the light- and dark-coloured laminae deposited in 1952 CE (17.5 cm in core CRA23-BC-1F-B). Sharply lower 239 + 240 Pu and ¹³⁷ Cs activities capture the moratorium from November 1958 to September 1961 before rising quickly to peak activities of 239 + 240 Pu in 1963 CE. Analysis of individual varves with varying amounts of organic matter and inorganic calcite illustrates the influence of lithology on organic proxies, but the upcore trend toward depleted values of δ ¹⁵ N through the 20th C reflects increased fossil fuel combustion worldwide. An inflection point in δ ¹⁵ N around 1911 CE is attributed the global impact of the Haber-Bosch process and establishment of nearby steel mills, and another in the early 1950s attributed to the Great Acceleration to which the tipping point in the Earth system is attributed.
Article
Full-text available
This paper evaluates company law and regulation using Earth system science (ESS) as an analytical lens. ESS draws attention to the disconnection of companies from the Earth system and the way that law, as a process of the anthroposphere, is impacted and evolving in response to Earth system disruption. It argues that, although there has been some reform that is consistent with regulating companies to address their climate and other environmental impacts, the reactive and piecemeal approach to legislative reform so far adopted is unable to change commercial behaviour sufficiently in practice. Additionally, although the courts have been asked to adjudicate, the core principles of company law create barriers to such interventions. The paper concludes with four suggested areas of reform: to directors’ duties; substantive obligations of due diligence; training, education and expertise; and accountability and enforcement. It is argued that these reforms are necessary to reduce the company’s environmental and social impacts, to aid the transition to a sustainable economy and to position them to operate in a future marked by planetary instability.
Chapter
In the Anthropocene, fluvial systems are increasingly challenged by a confluence of human-induced pressures and environmental changes that affect their ecological, hydrological, geomorphological, and socio-economic dimensions. This paper investigates the complexity of these challenges, highlighting the interdependencies among different factors that shape the health and functionality of river systems. It underscores the necessity of a holistic and interdisciplinary approach to effectively address these issues. The paper proposes a range of adaptive strategies and innovative solutions designed to enhance the sustainability of fluvial systems. Key among these strategies is the adoption of adaptive management practices that can respond flexibly to ongoing and future changes. Ecosystem-based approaches are emphasized for their ability to integrate ecological health with water management practices. The development of sustainable infrastructure is also crucial, aiming to mitigate environmental impacts while supporting necessary human activities. Furthermore, the paper advocates for integrated water resource management (IWRM) as a framework for coordinating efforts across different sectors and scales, ensuring a balanced approach to water use and conservation. Community engagement is highlighted as a vital component, recognizing that local knowledge and involvement are essential for the successful implementation of management strategies. By embracing these approaches, stakeholders can navigate the complexities of environmental change and work towards a future where fluvial landscapes not only survive but thrive. This interdisciplinary perspective is crucial for developing effective solutions that ensure the resilience and sustainability of our vital river systems.
Chapter
Since ancient times, humans have been using nature to fulfill their needs, and in this process, they have been shaping the environment and changing the face of the earth. Human activities in more recent times have started harming urban riverine ecosystems across the globe, and these impacts are far more severe in developing countries. Extreme levels of pollution and degradation of rivers flowing through the densely populated cities in the developing world are nothing new. River Mithi, which runs through Mumbai, the most populated city in India, has turned into a model example of a degraded urban riverine ecosystem. This study explores the ramifications of human activities on River Mithi of Mumbai, using satellite imageries, journal articles, reports, and websites, along with personal observations on the study area. We find that the Mithi River is severely polluted by human activities, which include encroachment by slums, industrial waste, and poor sanitation, thereby practically turning this river into an open sewer. Despite attempts toward restoration, not much success has been achieved. Therefore, restoring it would require a comprehensive strategy. Measures that could be part of such a strategy have been suggested in this chapter, such as using environmentally friendly drainage technologies, cooperation between various stakeholders, and efficient flood management plans that could facilitate the cleaning of the Mithi River to a pollution-free ecosystem.
Article
Full-text available
Eleven coupled climate–carbon cycle models used a common protocol to study the coupling between climate change and the carbon cycle. The models were forced by historical emissions and the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) Special Report on Emissions Scenarios (SRES) A2 anthropogenic emissions of CO 2 for the 1850–2100 time period. For each model, two simulations were performed in order to isolate the impact of climate change on the land and ocean carbon cycle, and therefore the climate feedback on the atmospheric CO 2 concentration growth rate. There was unanimous agreement among the models that future climate change will reduce the efficiency of the earth system to absorb the anthropogenic carbon perturbation. A larger fraction of anthropogenic CO 2 will stay airborne if climate change is accounted for. By the end of the twenty-first century, this additional CO 2 varied between 20 and 200 ppm for the two extreme models, the majority of the models lying between 50 and 100 ppm. The higher CO 2 levels led to an additional climate warming ranging between 0.1° and 1.5°C. All models simulated a negative sensitivity for both the land and the ocean carbon cycle to future climate. However, there was still a large uncertainty on the magnitude of these sensitivities. Eight models attributed most of the changes to the land, while three attributed it to the ocean. Also, a majority of the models located the reduction of land carbon uptake in the Tropics. However, the attribution of the land sensitivity to changes in net primary productivity versus changes in respiration is still subject to debate; no consensus emerged among the models.
Article
Full-text available
A high-resolution ice-core record of atmospheric CO2 concentration over the Holocene epoch shows that the global carbon cycle has not been in steady state during the past 11,000 years. Analysis of the CO2 concentration and carbon stable-isotope records, using a one-dimensional carbon-cycle model,uggests that changes in terrestrial biomass and sea surface temperature were largely responsible for the observed millennial-scale changes of atmospheric CO2 concentrations.
Article
We observe variations of about 70 ppbv around the mean pre-industrial level, which is confirmed at about 700 ppbv on a global average. According to our data, the beginning of the anthropogenic methane increase can be set between 1750 and 1800. Methane concentrations correlate only partially with proxy-data of climatic factors which influence the wetland release (the main source in pre-industrial times). A good correlation between our data and a population record from China suggests that man may already have influenced the CH4-cycle significantly before industrialisation. -from Authors
Article
Two approaches have dominated the study of Chinese industrial history. Work of the kind Professor Joseph Needham has done in his Science and Civilization in China attempts to trace the history of Chinese scientific and technological achievement from the earliest times. Recently some interesting investigations have also been made of industrialization along modern Western lines since 1800. Needham has collected valuable data about all periods but neglects the relation of technology to general economic history. From the other work we get a more or less comprehensive view of nineteenth century economic development, but this tells us nothing about an earlier era of significant growth and change. The purpose of this article is to outline the importance of iron and coal during the remarkable economic and industrial expansion which took place in the 166 years from 960 to the Jurchen conquest of North China in 1126 A.D.
Article
In 2005 the UK Government hosted the Avoiding Dangerous Climate Change conference to take an in-depth look at the scientific issues associated with climate change. This volume presents the most recent findings from the leading international scientists that attended the conference. The topics addressed include critical thresholds and key vulnerabilities of the climate system, impacts on human and natural systems, socioeconomic costs and benefits of emissions pathways, and technological options for meeting different stabilisation levels of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere. Contents are: Foreword from Prime Minister Tony Blair; Introduction from Rajendra Pachauri, Chairman of the IPCC; followed by 41 papers arranged in seven sections entitled: Key Vulnerabilities of the Climate System and Critical Thresholds; General Perspectives on Dangerous Impacts; Key Vulnerabilities for Ecosystems and Biodiversity; Socio-Economic Effects; Regional Perspectives; Emission Pathways; and Technological Options. Four papers have been abstracted separately for the Coal Abstracts database.
Article
A record of atmospheric CO2 mixing ratios from 1006 A.D. to 1978 A.D. has been produced by analyzing the air enclosed in three ice cores from Law Dome, Antarctica. The enclosed air has unparalleled age resolution and extends into recent decades, because of the high rate of snow accumulation at the ice core sites. The CO2 data overlap with the record from direct atmospheric measurements for up to 20 years. The effects of diffusion in the firn on the CO2 mixing ratio and age of the ice core air were determined by analyzing air sampled from the surface down to the bubble close-off depth. The uncertainty of the ice core CO2 mixing ratios is 1.2 ppm (1sigma). Preindustrial CO2 mixing ratios were in the range 275-284 ppm, with the lower levels during 1550-1800 A.D., probably as a result of colder global climate. Natural CO2 variations of this magnitude make it inappropriate to refer to a single preindustrial CO2 level. Major CO2 growth occurred over the industrial period except during 1935-1945 A.D. when CO2 mixing ratios stabilized or decreased slightly, probably as a result of natural variations of the carbon cycle on a decadal timescale.
Article
In view of the wide attention received by the suggestion that the rise in atmospheric carbon dioxide (CO 2 ) over the last 8000 years is anthropogenic rather than natural in origin [ Ruddiman , 2003], this claim should be carefully examined.The basis for the claim is that following each of the three preceding glacial terminations, the CO 2 content of the atmosphere peaked early on and then underwent a steady decline. By contrast, following the end of the last glacial period, while it also peaked early the decline bottomed out around 8000 years ago, and since then the atmospheric CO 2 content has steadily risen. By analogy with previous interglaciations, Ruddiman estimates that in the absence of human activity, the CO 2 content of the atmosphere would have dropped to 240 ppm. Instead it has risen to 280 ppm. In a recent article, Ruddiman [2005] proposes that this 40 ppm human‐induced rise prevented the onset of another ice age.