The word Anthropocene is derived from the Greek words anthropo, for “man,” and cene for “new”. This is a term used in both popular and scientific discourse to designate a geological unit of time in which humans are believed to have left their stratigraphic signature on earth's geology. In other words, the Anthropocene is an informal unit of geological time used to describe the most recent period in Earth's history when human activity began to have a significant impact on the planet's climate and ecosystems. Officially, however, the current epoch is called the Holocene, which began 11,700 years ago after the last major ice age. The difference between “Anthropocene'' and “Holocene” is controversial among scientists, and the International Union of Geological Sciences (IUGS) does not officially use the term anthropocene. Before declaring the Anthropocene an era, the first question that should be considered is whether humans have altered the Earth system to the extent that it is reflected in rock layers.

According to the idea of the Anthropocene, that humans have had such a huge influence on Earth and “its inhabitants that we will have a lasting - and potentially irreversible - influence on its systems, environment, processes and biodiversity” (Katie). As the number of people continues to multiply, the consumption of earth's resources also gradually increases, leading to climate change and environmental deterioration. Greenhouse gas emissions, tailpipe emissions, and pollution from factories are all evidence that humans are influencing the Earth. However, there is still debate as to whether anthropocene should be officially used. In fact, some scientists have decided to go beyond metaphor or use the term as a useful cross-disciplinary reference tool. They suggest that the Anthropocene, like the Holocene and Pleistocene, should be formally elevated to geological age. But for a stratigrapher to name a new age, there must be an observable, ubiquitous crack between the sediments of the two ages. Although anthropogenic carbon has been noted in sediments since the 1850s, such evidence is far from sufficient. 

Human's impact on the planet has been mixed. While some of the effects can last for a long time, overuse of the planet's resources can lead to species extinction, global warming, increased extreme weather and more. That's what scientists are focusing on trying to solve. If not prevented in time, such unpredictable changes in basic resources such as food, water, climate predictability and biodiversity can lead to social conflict. The pressures of each dangerous trend in itself, combined with their multiplying effects, make it highly likely that destructive social change will occur within decades. Therefore, it is crucial for scientists to focus on solutions and preventive measures, such as alleviating the most interacting global pressures, namely population growth, per capita resource consumption and greenhouse gas emissions. 

Work Cited:

Anthony D Barnosky, James H Brown. “Introducing the Scientific Consensus on Maintaining Humanity's Life Support Systems in the 21st Century: Information for Policy Makers.” SAGE Journals, 6 Feb. 2014, https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/full/10.1177/2053019613516290. 

Lena, Philippe. “Anthropocene: The Vital Challenges of a Scientific Debate.” UNESCO, 15 May 2018, https://en.unesco.org/courier/2018-2/anthropocene-vital-challenges-scientific-debate. 

National Geographic Society. “Anthropocene.” National Geographic Society, 5 June 2019, https://www.nationalgeographic.org/encyclopedia/anthropocene/. 

Pavid, Katie. “What Is the Anthropocene?” Natural History Museum, https://www.nhm.ac.uk/discover/what-is-the-anthropocene.html.