The term Anthropocene is used by some scientists to describe the most recent period in the Earth's history, starting in the 18th century where the activities of the human race first began to have a significant global effect on the Earth's climate and ecosystems. The term was coined by the Nobel Prize winning scientist Paul Crutzen, who regards the influence of mankind on the Earth in recent centuries as so significant as to constitute a new geological era.
References
Crutzen, P. J., and E. F. Stoermer. 2000. The "Anthropocene". Global Change Newsletter. 41: 12-13.
External links
New Scientist interview with Paul Crutzen (http://www.newscientist.com/opinion/opinterview.jsp;?id=ns24021)
The term Anthropocene is used by some scientists to describe the most recent period in the Earth's history, starting in the 18th century when the activities of the human race first began to have a significant global impact on the Earth's climate and ecosystems.
The term was coined by the Nobel Prize winning scientist Paul Crutzen, who regards the influence of mankind on the Earth in recent centuries as so significant as to constitute a new geological era.
While much of the environmental change presently occurring on Earth is a direct consequence of the industrial revolution, it can be argued that the Anthropocene actually began approximately 10,000 years ago with the termination of the last ice age.
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