The International Union of Geological Sciences has vehemently denied that the Anthropocene is a new era in Earth history. The term, which has been actively discussed for 15 years, will remain unofficial. The Ice Age, 11,700 years ago, was followed by the Holocene, the period in which humanity is still alive. But some scientists in the 20th century proposed a new era in the planet’s history, the Anthropocene, which began in the mid-19th century. As the name suggests, humans have become the main actors affecting the climate and biosphere all over the world. The recent changes are probably so serious that the environment left Holocene conditions and entered a new era.

Hundreds of billions of tonnes of carbon dioxide produced in huge quantities are believed to be the main footprint humans will leave behind. However, it is not possible to find such evidence in the geological annals. Therefore, the proposal for the Anthropocene remains controversial.

In 2009, the Anthropocene Working Group (AWG) was created to demonstrate that climatic and geological changes correspond to changing eras. Nuclear bomb testing was chosen as the starting point. The debate continued for nearly 15 years until the Working Group prepared a report to the Subcommittee on Quaternary Stratigraphy of the International Union of Geological Sciences (IUGS) in 2023. In the report, experts put forward the “Great Acceleration” as an indicator of the beginning of the Anthropocene, as well as Canada’s Crawford Lakes, where plutonium isotopes released after the testing of the atomic bomb were found in bottom sediments.

But the other day, the International Union of Geologists resolutely and almost unanimously rejected the Anthropocene as a new era in Earth history. As noted, this term can only be used informally. The fact is that the details of the Working Group report were known even before the official publication and were widely distributed in the mass media and popular scientific literature. Therefore, the word “anthropocene” has had time to get used to scientific justification.

As IUGS experts state, major transformations such as the “Great Oxidation” or the Cambrian Explosion have not occurred on the planet in the last 70 years. After all, compared to other periods, the Anthropocene lasts less than a human lifetime. However, according to the International Union’s statement, the Working Group has provided an important service to the scientific community by collecting data on the global impact of human activity.

Geologist Jan Zalasevich, who has been responsible for the Anthropocene Working Group since 2009, also commented: “The IUGS decision means that the term “anthropocene” will continue to be used to reflect fundamentally different concepts. This is to recognize and accept a plain and simple fact.” “It is a missed opportunity: Our planet suddenly and irreversibly abandoned its natural functioning in the mid-20th century. Countless geological signals reflect this fact.”