The Anthropocene – Maya Falodia
The Anthropocene represents a proposed geological epoch (“cene”) defined by the unparalleled influence of human (“anthro”) activities on Earth’s ecosystems and geology. This term was created by biologist Eugene F. Stoermer (in 1970s) and chemist Paul Crutzen (in 2000s). The start of the Anthropocene and end of the Holocene epoch is marked by a golden spike moment, a clear marker of a shift between epochs.
There are several proposed golden spike moments: the Post-Paleolithic Revolution, the Columbian Exchange, the Industrial Revolution, and the “Great Acceleration.” The Post-Paleolithic Revolution refers to how humans started to extensively use and alter natural resources, like creating stone tools. The Columbian Exchange could arguably be the golden spike because the trade forever altered the biology of Earth’s ecosystems. The Industrial Revolution could be the golden spike in part because of the impact of Watt’s steam engine on the environment. Finally, the Great Acceleration, one of the more recent golden spike proposals, argues the development and testing of nuclear bombs and the consequent radiation of isotopes forever changed the earth.
These proposals reflect a key idea, that human actions are causing irreversible changes, like a decrease in biodiversity, a change in stratigraphy, climate change, etc. One of the reasons the golden spike moment is debatable is because of the concept of “slow violence.” Many effects of human activities like industrialization or farming are not seen until years later, so it is hard to determine when the Anthropocene truly began. Climate change or the depletion of natural resources are examples of “slow violence” and how humans are the defining actor in the current geological epoch. Overall, the Anthropocene is characterized by a time where humans have a disproportionate impact on the environment, forever altering the world around them.
References:
Dryzek, John S., and Jonathan Pickering. “Anthropocene: The Good, the Bad, and the Inescapable.” The Politics of the Anthropocene, Oxford University Press, Incorporated, 2019, https://doi.org/10.1093/oso/9780198809616.003.0001.
Nixon, Rob. Slow Violence and the Environmentalism of the Poor. 1st ed., Harvard University Press, 2011. https://orbiscascade-washington.primo.exlibrisgroup.com/permalink/01ALLIANCE_UW/1juclfo/alma99162412084101452.
“The Man Who Discovered the ‘abyss of Time’ – BBC News.” YouTube, YouTube, 26 Mar. 2023, www.youtube.com/watch?v=esqxYO5vsEI.
Thompson, E. P. “Time, Work‐Discipline, and Industrial Capitalism.” Class, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd, 2017, pp. 27–40, https://doi.org/10.1002/9781119395485.ch3.
