Anthropocene

Also in this time frame we have seen the birth of the "anthropocene" as the era in which humankind has significantly impacted the carrying capacity of the biosphere -- with notable episodes including the breakup of Arctic ice that is the planet's thermostat and weather initiator, an unprecedented loss of biodiversity, the steady erosion of arable land, and an ongoing depletion of freshwater supplies. ❋ Randall Amster (2010)

The Nobel Prize – winning atmospheric scientist Paul Crutzen — one of the first cheerleaders for investigating the gas-the-planet strategy — recently argued that geologists should refer to the past two centuries as the “anthropocene” period. ❋ Unknown (2009)

A scientific term with a political intent, anthropocene describes our catastrophic effect on the planet in order to mitigate it. ❋ Steven E. Levingston (2010)

Indeed, the Nobel prize-winning chemist Paul Crutzen now argues that greenhouse gases have brought about such profound changes that we must accept the world has entered a new epoch: the anthropocene, he calls it. ❋ Unknown (2010)

Serious scientists have proposed a new geological era, the anthropocene, to describe the severity and pervasiveness of human impacts from the ocean depths to the edge of space. ❋ Unknown (2010)

Anthropogenic climate change together with land use change and other anthropogenic alterations of the biosphere and other spheres have now reached such a high level that some earth scientist are now calling for the recognition that we have now entered a new, human-dominated, geologic era: the anthropocene. ❋ Unknown (2009)

Rebecca Solnit is the author, most recently, of A Paradise Built in Hell: The Extraordinary Communities That Arise in Disaster, a book written as a tool for preparing for the onslaught of climate-related disasters in our new anthropocene era. ❋ Unknown (2009)

Comparisons between anthropocene (1750-2005), last glacial termination (20 "" 11.7 kyr) and Pliocene (~3 Ma) CO2 levels, climate forcings, mean global temperatures and sea levels. ❋ Unknown (2009)

He also has a guest thread here on RealClimate regarding the early anthropocene. ❋ Unknown (2009)

Zalasiewicz, Williams, [Steffen] and Crutzen contend that recent human activity, including stunning [population growth], sprawling megacities and increased use of fossil fuels, have changed the planet to such an extent that we are entering what they call the Anthropocene (New Man) [Epoch]. First proposed by Crutzen more than a decade ago, the term Anthropocene has provoked controversy. However, as more potential consequences of human activity -- such as global climate change and sharp increases in plant and animal extinctions -- have emerged, Crutzen's term has gained support. Currently, the worldwide geological community is formally considering whether the Anthropocene should join the Jurassic, [Cambrian] and other more familiar units on the Geological Time Scale. -ScienceDaily ❋ Miskatonic Jack 2 (2010)