Anthropocene

In Nigeria's oil-rich Niger Delta, oil bunkering — the practice of siphoning oil from pipelines — has transformed parts of the once-thriving delta ecosystem into an ecological dead zone, according to the U.N. Environment Programme.

Mercy me: Photos show what humans have done to the planet in the Anthropocene age

9:31pm March 29, 2024

Anthropocene refers to the age of humans — the things we've done to Earth. Geologists just rejected a proposal to declare an official "Anthropocene epoch." But everyone agrees: Damage has been done.

Trees surround Crawford Lake in Milton, Ontario., on Monday, July 10, 2023. A team of scientists is recommending the start of a new geological epoch defined by how humans have impacted the Earth should be marked at the pristine Crawford Lake outside Toronto in Canada.

Scientists say a new epoch marked by human impact—the Anthropocene—began in 1950s

7:31pm July 11, 2023

by The Associated Press

The Anthropocene Working Group is proposing a small but deep lake outside of Toronto, Canada — Crawford Lake — to place a historic marker.

A portion of Australia's Great Barrier Reef photographed from the International Space Station. The Flinders Reef area of the Great Barrier Reef is one of 11 sites around the world where scientists are looking for decisive geological evidence of a new epoc

Science

Drawing A Line In The Mud: Scientists Debate When 'Age Of Humans' Began

5:50am March 17, 2021

by Rebecca Hersher

Scientists on five continents are hunting for geological evidence to pinpoint exactly when humans became a major force shaping life on Earth. But settling on the date could unleash a larger debate.

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The cover of The Human Planet shows the impact of harvesting thick layers of peat, to burn as fuel, in sparsely forested parts of the Netherlands. Because peat takes thousands of years to form, the harvesting leaves behind sunken, water-filled areas cross

A Flying Photographer Looks Down On Earth In Awe And Sorrow

7:05am May 03, 2020

by Pranav Baskar

In his new book, The Human Planet: Earth at the Dawn of the Anthropocene, George Steinmetz offers a bird's eye view of the mark humans have made on the global landscape.

An artist's rendering of what a Class V planet might look like under this new planetary classification system.

Lessons From The Stars: How To Live On A Climate-Changed World

11:17am September 13, 2017

by Adam Frank

Classification of planets offers a way to see how Anthropocenes — and a successful route through them — might be part of a continuum of planetary evolution, says astrophysicist Adam Frank.

The entrance to the Svalbard Global Seed Vault.

Can We Preserve Seed Diversity For The Future?

8:19am September 30, 2016

by NPR/TED STAFF

Biodiversity archivist Cary Fowler explains how the Svalbard Global Seed Vault will prepare humans for the climate change and its effect on our environment and our food supply.

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How Do We Embrace All Kinds Of Nature?

8:19am September 30, 2016

by NPR/TED Staff

Environmental writer Emma Marris wants us to broaden our definition of nature to one that embraces urban and wild spaces in order learn to protect and care for it.

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Paleontologist Kenneth Lacovara speaks at TED in 2016.

What's The Anthropocene?

8:19am September 30, 2016

by NPR/TED STAFF

Have we entered a new age defined by humans? Paleontologist Kenneth Lacovara says there's "no doubt" that humans' impact on Earth will show up in the geological record.

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Paleontologist Peter Ward speaking on the TED stage.

Are We Headed Into Another Mass Extinction?

8:19am September 30, 2016

by NPR/TED STAFF

At various times, life on earth has come close to being erased. Paleontologist Peter Ward explains what we can learn from previous mass extinctions.

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When Did Humans Start Shaping Earth's Fate? An Epoch Debate

11:35am April 06, 2015

by Nell Greenfieldboyce

Some scientists suggest calling the era we live in the Anthropocene, to denote the time when humans came to dominate Earth's fate. But did it start with farming, the atom bomb or another event?

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