Geography Reference
In-Depth Information
The Anthropocene
The term 'Anthropocene' was proposed by Paul J. Crutzen
and Eugene Stoermer in the year 2000 to defi ne a new
geological epoch characterized by the dominance of
human impacts on the geo-ecology of the Earth. It covers
approximately the last 200 years of the Holocene. During
the Anthropocene, the world's population has increased to
over 6 million people, and the scale of human exploitation of
the Earth's resources is unprecedented. At least 50% of the
land surface of the Earth has been transformed by human
actions. More than 50% of all accessible fresh water is now
used by humans. Around 20% of mammal species, 10% of
bird species, and 5% of fi sh species are currently threatened
with extinction as a result of human activities. The artifi cial
nitrogen added annually to soils as fertilizer now exceeds the
amount fi xed naturally in soils. Sulphur dioxide emissions to
the atmosphere from fossil fuel burning and tropical forest
fi res are now double those emitted naturally. Atmospheric
carbon dioxide and methane (two important greenhouse
gases) have increased by about 30% and about 150%,
respectively, during the last 200 years.
rapid changes of the Anthropocene are being superimposed.
The immediate challenge for physical geography is how best to
contribute to accurate knowledge and improved understanding
of the science of environmental change - including the human
impact - so that informed political decisions can be made, not
only about how to achieve an acceptable carbon balance, but
also about how to deal with the many other human 'footprints'
being made on the Earth's surface. Environmental changes of the
Anthropocene will therefore reappear later in this chapter, and
many times later in the topic, in the context of geography as a
whole.
