ND Expert Julia Adeney Thomas: The reality of the Anthropocene
For the last seven decades, Earth has been operating in unprecedented ways, leading many researchers to argue that we have entered a new geological epoch known as the Anthropocene.
“While it may not have been formally accepted onto the geological time scale, the Anthropocene is real and its effects have drastically and irrevocably changed the living conditions on our planet,” said Julia Adeney Thomas, a professor of history at the University of Notre Dame. “It should therefore be treated as a de facto new epoch of Earth’s history.”
That argument is at the crux of an article published today in the journal Nature and authored by Thomas, Jan Zalasiewicz and Colin Waters of Leicester University, Simon Turner of University College London and Martin Head of Brock University.
The article was also co-signed by more than 50 other researchers representing many different disciplines and institutes from around the world. It summarizes the evidence of massive physical, chemical and biological change on the planet, including the rapidly warming climate.
“For many thousands of years, large human populations coexisted with relatively stable planetary conditions and left abundant traces of their existence and their environmental impacts,” Thomas said. “But the planet is now sharply different, and the significance of these changes extends far beyond the Earth sciences to affect the social sciences, the humanities and arts — and to form a now-permanent context for the work of planners and decision-makers.”
The authors emphasize that it makes sense to precisely delimit the beginning of the Anthropocene at 1952. That year not only marks the prominent upturn of artificial radionuclide fallout around the Earth from hydrogen bomb tests, they note, but closely coincides with many other changes, such as the appearance of plastics and many other novel compounds and the rapid growth of greenhouse gases, as well as widespread social, economic and political changes as the postwar world entered a period of unprecedented growth.
“Wide acceptance of such a definition would make for more precise analysis of the many phenomena associated with the Anthropocene, and allow us to communicate clearly,” Thomas said. “The Anthropocene may have been rejected by the International Commission on Stratigraphy — for now. But it is all too alive in the real world, and we should recognize that.”
Contact: Carrie Gates, associate director of media relations, 574-993-9220, c.gates@nd.edu
Latest Faculty & Staff
- Dockworkers reconsider strike that shut down East and Gulf Coast ports: A conversation with supply chain expert Kaitlin WowakThe union representing dockworkers at U.S. ports walked away from the negotiating table with port employers this week over automation concerns as the two sides face a mid-January deadline to finalize a deal and prevent the resumption of a strike. Business Analytics Professor Kaitlin Wowak discusses potential supply chain disruptions.
- When countries hide their true public debt, they hurt themselves, their citizens and their lendersGlobal public debt may soon collectively catch up to the worldwide gross domestic product (GDP), likely matching it by 2030. New research from a Notre Dame economist suggests that this could happen even sooner, thanks to countries’ hidden debts. This misreported debt can lead to higher interest rates for borrowers and lower recovery rates for lenders, suggesting indirect adverse effects on global financial stability and consumer welfare.
- Law School Professor Derek Muller joins CNN as contributor for 2024 presidential electionNationally recognized election law scholar Derek T. Muller, a professor of law at the University of Notre Dame Law School, has joined CNN as a contributor for the 2024 election cycle to provide his perspective and context to the network’s coverage of the presidential race.
- In memoriam: Rev. Gustavo Gutiérrez, O.P., renowned Notre Dame theologian, father of ‘liberation theology’Rev. Gustavo Gutiérrez, O.P., professor emeritus of theology at Notre Dame and widely regarded as the “father of liberation theology,” died Tuesday (Oct. 22) in Lima, Peru. He was 96.
- Notre Dame Forum to present ‘Fr. TED Talks’ on Catholic social tradition, featuring President Rev. Robert A. Dowd, C.S.C., and Dr. Jim O’ConnellHonoring the legacy of legendary University of Notre Dame President Rev. Theodore M. Hesburgh, C.S.C., the 2024-25 Notre Dame Forum will host “Fr. TED Talks: Ideas from the Catholic Social Tradition That We Find Inspiring,” a two-night festival on Oct. 28 and 29.
- Democrats and Republicans agree on one thing: Censoring hate speechIn an era of intense polarization, Democrats and Republicans have historically, and mistakenly, believed that members of the other party prioritize protecting certain types or victims of hate speech over others based on stereotypes or their affiliation with those potentially vulnerable groups. New research from the University of Notre Dame, however, revealed that partisans generally agree on what to censor when it comes to the target, source and severity of hate speech.
