Scientists Jan Zalasiewica and Erle Ellis on the recent decision to reject a proposal for a new geological epoch, the Anthropocene. Listen to The Conversation Weekly podcast.
The idea cannot be stopped, even if geologists have voted not to recognise a new epoch.
The waters of Crawford Lake in Milton, Ont., in July 2023. Crawford Lake was the site of the proposed ‘golden spike’ — the most compelling evidence for the beginning of the geological Anthropocene.
THE CANADIAN PRESS/Cole Burston
Erle C. Ellis, University of Maryland, Baltimore County
Scientists have been debating the start of the Anthropocene Epoch for 15 years. I was part of those discussions, and I agree with the vote rejecting it.
Mining the moon for its resources is growing more and more likely.
(Shutterstock)
Sarah Nance, Binghamton University, State University of New York
Sarah Nance uses geologic data and a variety of artistic media to help people think about their place in the landscapes they use and occupy.
Ethan Hawke plays a minister in ‘First Reformed,’ (2017) a film that prompts viewers to rethink what they assume they already know, from politics to religion to the climate crisis.
(A24)
‘Somebody has to do something’: Top feature film and documentary picks from scholars examining climate change and cinema offer courage to hold contradictory truths and pursue climate solutions.
The Anthropocene began quickly, but will last deep into the geological future.
Dans un monde aux ressources finies, les effets des activités humaines sur l’environnement hypothèquent gravement le futur des générations à venir.
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Our relationships with the natural world have changed, and addressing how we understand our place in the world will help us find solutions to current environmental crises.
We used satellite data to create global maps of where and how fires are burning. Fire season lasts two weeks longer than it used to and fires are more intense. But there are regional differences.
Long before thermometers, nature left its own temperature records. A climate scientist explains how ongoing global warming compares with ancient temperatures.
Crawford Lake, in Milton, Ont., seen from above.
THE CANADIAN PRESS/Cole Burston
Allan and Helaine Shiff Curator of Climate Change, Royal Ontario Museum and Assistant Professor, Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of Toronto