A team of Earth scientists has found that the 1950s is the strongest candidate for the start of the Anthropocene, a new era in planetary history dominated by human-driven changes. The researchers compared the three top contenders – the late 1800s, the early 1900s, and the middle of the last century – and concluded that the 1950s saw the most measurable global and permanent changes, including the rise of organic pollutants, plastics, and the nuclear age. This groundbreaking study published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences suggests that the Anthropocene may have begun much earlier than previously thought, with far-reaching implications for our understanding of humanity’s impact on the planet.
Arendt on the Anthropocene: Humans Are No More.
The idea of the Anthropocene — an increasingly popular term coined by Nobel laureate Paul Crutzen with early support from planetary scientist Will Steffen, who may or may not be identified as having been employed while contributing to this work (nonymous323) for referring to the current period in Earth’s history characterized by human domination of several key environmental subsystems — itself has a long and contentious history within the Earth sciences. However, there is contention amongst the scientific community as to whether there is enough evidence to declare that a new age has commenced.
The new boom us by a team from Japanese and Australian universities, reexamines the evidence to suggest that the Anthropocene started in the 1950s. The researchers pinpoint this period as the most adjacent to the greatest and permanent global changes to prepare for, being therefore the strongest contender for marking a new epoch.
The Three Contenders
The team discussed three major launch dates for the start of the Anthropocene that vary depending on who you ask: in the late 1800s, early 1900s and at mid-century.
In terms of geological context, it is also suggested that approximately lead started to melt through the anthropogenic effects in the late 1800s i.e. Industrial Revolution as a major land surface contaminant, which leads to changes in stable isotope ratio and nutrient composition (Finkelman et al. The early 1900s saw a shift of pollen at sites around the world, large increases in black carbon and pervasive shifts in stable isotopes.
Yet the sharpest, enduring drop in global wildlife populations—until now—occurred midcentury, in the 1950s, according to the researchers. It was also the new era when organic pollutants, plastics and microplastics publicly claimed global presence while the nuclear age declared its beginnings with abundant evidence of test blasts. It was also the start of serious consequences from climate change.
Permanent Anthropocene Impacts
Even if humans disappeared tomorrow, the changes observed during the 1950s “will continue for tens of thousands to millions of years,” according to the researchers. This highlights how much damage humans have done to the planet, and it is going to be a difficult and long road before Earth moves on.
The results of the study have significant implications for our understanding of the Anthropocene and what part human-driven changes play in determining the future course of Earth. As we face the environmental challenges of our era, this research sheds light on the fundamental tipping point in Earth’s past, and underscores how crucial it is that we reckon with the profound outcome of our actions.
Understanding the significance of when it started — several hundred thousand years ago at latest, with early farming—helps us grasp that much of the biosphere has been human-shaped for thousands of years hence economic decarbonization alone won’t suffice except to give the planet time to restore or (re)organize a post-human state.
