Geological Epoch Research Articles

Defining the Anthropocene as a geological epoch captures human impacts’ triphasic nature to empower science and action

Defining the Anthropocene as a geological epoch captures human impacts’ triphasic nature to empower science and action

"Simply" talking about the Anthropocene?

The Anthropocene seems to be on everyone’s lips these days. Whether as a turning point in Earth’s history, a geological epoch, or as a cultural narrative and metaphor, the Anthropocene is currently being debated not only in the scientific disciplines, but also as a fashionable buzzword in the media, popular culture, and the arts. Conversely, some scholars have argued that the term perpetuates anthropocentrism, Eurocentrism, and global inequalities rather than “demystifying” them. Use of the term itself would seemingly encourage ongoing processes of depoliticization. In what follows, I will trace this supposed depoliticization of the Anthropocene. Ultimately, I argue that a critical look at notions of temporality and timescale could not only reveal the politics of the Anthropocene and initiate new modes of historical thinking, but also shake the foundations of history education.

Ecological Crises and Ecopolitics Research in Australia

It is difficult to exaggerate the scale of contemporary ecological crises. These challenges, particularly climate change, necessitate new modes of politics and policy, even potentially new institutions, that seem anathema to the emphases of traditional accounts of environmental political science. In this paper, we explore contemporary ecopolitics research in Australia that is attempting to come to terms with the reality of ecological crises and the geological epoch of the Anthropocene. Showcasing a range of scholarship in this area, we argue that contemporary Australian ecopolitics research identifies and engages with a wide range of sites of politics and a significant number of (consequential) political actors. It recognises the need to engage directly with key institutions while also extending our gaze to the environment movement, community groups, financial institutions, local governments, and consumers. It acknowledges that sites of politics extend from the way ecological crises are framed in public debate to policy management, practices of private corporations and even to individual patterns of consumption. And it argues for an expansive conception of ethics beyond currently living human communities, a vision which arguably better meets the reality of ecological crises and the Anthropocene epoch.

Towards an ethical existence

This study investigates the theme of crossings in literature, whether it involves trespassing boundaries or limitations, or crossings that enable hybridizations. The concept of crossing is linked to its ethical potential in our geo-historical time, the Anthropocene, a period that calls for a reexamination of the foundations of ethics. To achieve this, well-known literary works such as Os Lusíadas by Luís de Camões, Paradise Lost by John Milton, and Oryx and Crake by Margaret Atwood are examined. The analysis is based on Jane Bennett's concept of enchantment. Additionally, authors who adhere to the Object-Oriented Ontology (OOO) perspective, such as Graham Harman and Timothy Morton, will be brought into the discussion. The primary goal of this paper is to investigate the role literature and art (in general) play in a time when the rational foundation of ethics is being questioned. The Anthropocene is understood here as a new geological epoch that begs for a revisiting of certain concepts and dichotomies that shape modernity. Thus, there is an acknowledgment of the need to reconsider the foundation of ethics given the rupture provoked by the Anthropocene. This paper provides an examination of the complex interplay between literature, ethics, and the Anthropocene, emphasizing enchantment as a conceptual tool to unravel the ethical dimensions presented by the selected literary works. Furthermore, the works of Camões, Milton, and Atwood expose some of the implications of the enchantment/disenchantment dichotomy that characterizes modernity. The study, therefore, aims to contribute to how literature and art can help cultivate affects that aid in navigating contemporary ethical challenges in a world marked by significant climate transformations.

Of Yeasts and Humans

AbstractHumankind, the biological species Homo sapiens, lives today in a very different world from the one for which it was evolutionarily selected in the geological epoch Pleistocene (2.6 million to twelve thousand years BC). The Anthropocene, as the epoch we live now has been called, is characterized by increasing tension between human nature and technological civilization, and humans live in an atmosphere of uncertainty, insecurity, and threat. By “naturalizing” the human condition, cognitive biology offers the only painless alternative to the many scenarios that depict the extinction of Homo sapiens as a consequence of violent conflicts and unimaginable suffering.

Environmental Racism and Climate (In)Justice in the Anthropocene: Addressing the Silences and Erasures in Management and Organization Studies

In this paper, we are situated in postcolonial, decolonial, and feminist epistemologies to study environmental racism in the Anthropocene—a new geological epoch where human activity has changed the functioning of the earth. Drawing from critiques of the Anthropocene, the concept of racial capitalism, as well as environmental justice and racism scholarship, we show how proposed solutions to the climate crisis overlook and may even exacerbate racial injustices faced by communities of color. We contend that a climate justice agenda that is grounded on racial justice is necessary for our scholarship to develop a racially just management and organization studies (MOS). To accomplish this agenda, we propose three shifts: from studying elite institutions to researching grassroots organizations concerned with climate and racial justice, from uncritical endorsement of global technologies to studying local adaptation by communities of color, and from offering decontextualized climate solutions to unraveling racial histories that can help us address racial and climate injustices. We discuss the implications of these shifts for management research and education and argue that MOS cannot afford to ignore climate justice and racial justice—they are both inextricably linked, and one cannot be achieved without the other.

Bioethics - Origins and Birth. Inaugural Lecture

Bioethics is the study of ethical issues emerging from advances in Biology, Medicine and our environment. The oldest sub-discipline of Bioethics is Medical Ethics. This can be traced back to the earliest writings in Egypt and Mesopotamia, in the 3rd millennium BCE. The “Hippocratic Oath” was the most important milestone dominating ethical rules for 2,500 years. With the advent of Christianity, these early ethical rules were expanded and accepted throughout the Western World. However, the term Medical Ethics itself was only coined in 1803 by Thomas Percival, outlining the obligations and conduct expected of healthcare practitioners and institutions. Regrettably, subsequent codes of ethics did not provide for any legal repercussions. As a result, during the Nuremberg Trial for Nazi physicians, only patient deaths were punishable, while all other heinous acts could not be punished. Remarkably, no country worldwide had legislation to prosecute physicians who had violated their oath. The Nuremberg Code and the Geneva Declaration, which followed offered again merely guidelines for physicians. With the rate of medical knowledge doubling at an accelerated pace from every 50 years in the 1950s to every 2 months today, new ethical dilemmas have emerged that cannot be resolved by the current recommendations. The discovery of genes, cloning, genetic manipulation, selection criteria for chronic haemodialysis and transplantation, contraceptives for birth control, abortion, brain death, vegetative state, the right to die and euthanasia, along with extracorporeal fertilisation, surrogate motherhood, sexual relations and numerous other ethical issues, have become significant concerns that will need to be reconsidered in the future. What is deemed acceptable in one country may still be prohibited in another. Legal regulations are often implemented years after the ethical problems have arisen, and many physicians have found themselves caught in the middle and incarcerated. With the advent of the Industrial Revolution, the atomic bomb, gene discovery, and manipulation, and many other developments, the Earth has entered a new geological epoch, known as the “Anthropocene”. As we are unable to foresee what lies ahead, it is imperative that we pass down to our students and future generations the timeless ethical principles that we have inherited from our forebears and adapted to our era. These values encompass the safety of patients, respect for their autonomy, avoidance of harm and promotion of well-being, detailed information and informed consent, respect of confidentiality, impartiality towards all patients irrespective of gender, race, religion or beliefs, treatment, pain relief, fairness, and concurrently, respect for the rights of all humans, animals, and nature. It is imperative that these values are always kept at the forefront of our minds. These will enable our students, successors, nursing staff, theologians, lawyers, sociologists, psychologists, administrative personnel, and ethical committees to find common ground and prevent conflicts with patients, their families, or society. The cultivation of self-control, constructive criticism of our decisions, and quality control shall remain our duty forever.

The underground and end of geologic imaginations in the Finnish/Swedish TV Series White Wall

In this article, I analyse how underground landscapes are represented in the Finnish/Swedish television series, White Wall (2020). Subterranean imaginations, I argue, help reconceptualise the agency of the inorganic, mineral and geological along with that of the biological and social. Juxtaposing the underground with the surface, White Wall unfolds not only horizontal but also vertical ways of thinking about human/non-human relations in the Anthropocene. I also discuss how the series engages with fantastical nineteenth-century stories of Earth’s exploration. Through dialogue with literary predecessors, White Wall grapples with how retrospective and prospective designations of the new geologic epoch collide.

Leisure and the Anthropocene—Special Issue Introduction

The Anthropocene, introduced by scientists in 2000 to name the current geological epoch, draws attention to the scale and force of anthropogenic impacts on Earth systems. With this special issue, we aim to inspire and assemble scholarship that has an intentional focus on understanding, critiquing, and (re)imagining relationships between leisure and the Anthropocene. More specifically, we have invited contributing authors to explore questions such as: how is the field of leisure studies grappling with global ecological crises? How does leisure matter in the Anthropocene? How has leisure been complicit in producing the Anthropocene? How might leisure help heal, or inflict further damage to, human and more-than-human relations within planetary systems? This article introduces the special issue by presenting brief background information for readers and illuminating three cross-cutting themes within the special issue manuscripts, namely: (a) times, temporalities, and rhythms; (b) ethical relationships and responsibilities; and (c) “new” sensibilities.

What’s Next for the Anthropocene?

Researchers weigh in on the meaning and aftermath of the decision to reject designating “Anthropocene” as an official geological epoch.

Contextualizing Positionality, Intersectionality, and Intelligence in the Anthropocene.

The geological epoch of the Anthropocene has challenged traditional definitions of what intellectual abilities are necessary to creatively problem-solve, understand, and address contemporary societal and environmental crises. If we hope to make meaningful changes to how our society addresses these complex issues and pave the way for a better future for generations to come, we must advance traditional theories and measures of higher-order abilities to reflect equity and inclusion. To this end, we must address global issues by integrating the complexities of intersectional identities as they impact our understanding of what constitutes intelligence in individuals, groups, and diverse communities. This re-envisioning of intelligence presents new complexities for understanding and challenges for our field beyond the boundaries of what has been previously touted by many disciplines, including psychology. It is an opportunity to re-envision what it means to be intelligent in a diverse global context while also honoring and recognizing the value of difference, positionality, and other ways of knowing.

Responsibility in the Anthropocene: Paul Ricoeur and the Summons to Responsibility amid Global Environmental Degradation

ABSTRACTThe nomenclature of the Anthropocene for this geological epoch marks in a novel way the global impact of human activity on the world. Consequently, it creatively raises the alarm bell of global environmental devastation. However, the narrative implicit in the Anthropocene presents challenges to use it as a departure point for developing an ethics of responsibility, as it contains morally relevant but ambiguous etiologies, phenomenological challenges to discrete human agency, and the potential erasure of both causes and victims of global environmental degradation. This challenge compounds the challenges to traditional models of responsibility‐as‐imputation by global forms of environmental degradation signaled in the Anthropocene. Our new epoch demands new models of responsibility. This article draws upon neglected work by Paul Ricoeur to reconstruct a twofold model of responsibility: (1) responsibility‐as‐imputation and (2) responsibility for the fragile other and the domains that amplify fragility. It shows that a twofold model can more completely respond to harms elicited by anthropogenic environmental degradation by maintaining the benefits of traditional models of responsibility‐as‐accountability while dramatically expanding the subject and objects of responsibility through attention to the fragile and thus better serving us as we navigate responsibility in the Anthropocene.

Does the Anthropocene Matter?: The definition of this new geological epoch conveys the all-encompassing nature of the challenge we face.

Does the Anthropocene Matter?: The definition of this new geological epoch conveys the all-encompassing nature of the challenge we face.

Reintroduction of large carnivores in Europe: a case study on frictions between rules of law and rules of nature

Scientists have announced the Anthropocene as a geological epoch in which human impacts have become dominant, and the human/nature dichotomy seems to have been transcended. This article examines if, and under what conditions, the obligation to maintain or restore natural habitats and species of wild fauna at favourable conservation status under EU Nature protection law (Habitats Directive) includes obligations for EU member states to reintroduce species against the dynamic backdrop of the Anthropocene. The dynamics of the Anthropocene pertain to time (past or historical versus present or current presence of a species within a particular habitat), space (native or indigenous ecosystem versus human-induced or anthropogenically changed ecosystem or habitat) and ontologies (‘natural’ versus ‘human’ reintroduction). Focusing on the particular issue of the ‘restoration’ and ‘reintroduction’ of populations of large carnivores – so-called keystone species – in the EU, these temporal, spatial and conceptual dimensions (nature/human dichotomy) of the Habitats Directive are explored in the context of three concrete reintroduction scenarios. Considering this setting, what have the obligations to maintain and to restore come to imply, and is a disconnect emerging between the relatively static ‘rules of law’ and dynamic ‘rules of nature’?

Unlocking the hydrocarbon potential: Formation evaluation and petrophysical properties of the upper Triassic Kurra Chine Formation in Sarta Oil Field, Kurdistan Region, Northern Iraq

The Upper Triassic Kurra Chine Formation in the Sarta oil field of the Kurdistan Region of Northern Iraq has garnered limited attention, notwithstanding the keen interest of numerous international oil companies in drilling wells within this geological epoch. This study endeavors to thoroughly investigate the Formation Evaluation and petrophysical properties of the Kurra Chine Formation in the production oil field, with a specific focus on Sarta Well-2 (S-2). The research incorporates diverse methods for formation evaluation and analysis of petrophysical properties, employing conventional wireline logs such as Gamm-Ray, Neutron, Density, Sonic, Resistivity, Caliper, and Bit size.The research findings reveal that the thickness of the Kurra Chine Formation in S-2 is approximately 380 m. The pay zones of S-2 exhibit an average shale volume of 17 %. The dominant lithology in S-2 comprises Limestone, Dolomite, Anhydrite, Shale, and Sandstone. The average total porosity within the pay zones is determined to be 6 % in S-2. Furthermore, the average effective porosity in reservoir zones of the S-2 is estimated to be 5 %, while the average secondary porosity in these zones is found to be 6 % in S-2. The average permeability in the pay zones of the Sarta well is reported to be 30.6 millidarcy (mD). Additionally, the average water saturation in the pay zones is determined to be 35 % in S-2, whereas the average hydrocarbon saturation is estimated to be 45 % in S-2.This study furnishes comprehensive descriptions and analyses of the formation evaluation and petrophysical properties of the Kurra Chine Formation in Northern Iraq, shedding light on the characteristics and potential of this oil-bearing formation.

Microbe development for the biomanufacturing age

Microbe development for the biomanufacturing age Joe Price, Dr Kang Lan Tee & Prof Tuck Seng Wong, explore adopting a holistic approach to microbe development for the age of biomanufacturing. Since the late 2000s, scientists worldwide have proposed that humans have done something that no biological entity has ever done before: directly shifted our planet into a new geological epoch. This epoch – The “Anthropocene” – is the result of the largely negative impact that we’ve had on the earth, and it brings a dire need to transition our industries and ways of life towards new systems that are sustainable and circular, living in harmony with the planet instead of in discord.

Everyday Anthropocene and Multispecies Kinship in Amitav Ghosh’s Gun Island

The Anthropocene, a term increasingly embraced across disciplines, is often used to denote the current geological epoch that signifies the profound impact humans have exerted on the Earth’s geology and ecosystems. This concept challenges the traditional delineation of geological epochs, suggesting that human activity has caused significant environmental changes that are substantial enough to mark the commencement of a new geological era. Central to the Anthropocene theory is the recognition of human-inducedalterations that span across climate change, biodiversity loss, and the transformation of land through deforestation, urbanisation, and agriculture, alongside the proliferation of man-made materials like plastics and concrete.The idea of the ‘everyday Anthropocene’ brings this concept closer to our daily lives, emphasising how ordinary, everyday human actions contribute to these large-scale environmental changes. It recognises that the cumulative effects of daily human activities —such as driving cars, using plastic, consuming energy, and producing waste —play a crucial role in shaping our planet’s future. At the same time, the everyday Anthropocene refers to the ways we experience the effects of environmental changes in our day-to-day lives. This notioncompels us to recognise the Anthropocene not as a distant or abstract epoch but as an immediate reality, manifesting in the climate we experience, the air we breathe, the water we drink, and the food we consume. In her essay, “Climate Change and the Struggle for Genre,” Stephanie LeMenager refers to the ‘everyday Anthropocene’ as “the present tense, lived time of the Anthropocene” that calls for paying attention to what it means to live, day by day, through climate shift and the economic and sociological injuries that underwrite it” (225). She presents this concept as a critique of epochal thinking. The conventional perspective on the Anthropocene as a geological epoch detaches us from the immediate, tangible effects of our actions on the environment and ourselves. Epochs, as large-scale historical markers, can lead to a kind of forgetting, abstracting the very real and ongoing depletion and suffering of living bodies and ecosystems into broad, impersonal spans of time. The everyday Anthropocene, in contrast, calls for attention to “a more granular and personal account” of those living through the anthropogenic changes of our planet (225). She emphasises the importance of recognising and addressing the slow, often unnoticed wear on bodies and environments caused by systemic issues like bio-deregulation and slow violence. She highlights the role of the Anthropocene novel as a medium to focus closely on what it means to live amidst climate change, capturing the day-to-day reality of existing in a world under threat. She views such narratives as tools for preparing and adapting to change, advocating for a re-evaluation of our daily lives and our collective home in a more empathetic and sustainable manner.

The Age of Cain

This essay critically examines the concept of the Anthropocene, a term referring to a proposed new geological epoch—the age of the human. I begin by foregrounding how the project of Western extractive colonialism has exercised significant influence in structuring the political ecology of the planet within this new era. Considering this influence, I maintain that the era is better understood as the age of “Man”—the fictive idealized human form that stands at the ideological heart of the (neo)colonial project. In order to locate the figure of Man within the Christian imagination, I construct an analogy between the figures of Man and Cain, so that, through this analogy, the Anthropocene can be identified as the age of Cain. The essay concludes by considering the implications of this interpretation of the Anthropocene for contemporary Christian faith.

Marine plastic pollution in the Anthropocene: A linguistic toolkit for holistic understanding and action

In the Anthropocene, the significant and pervasive human impact on Earth's ecosystems is manifested in myriad ways, with the ever-increasing presence of plastic pollution being a prime example. This paper presents a comprehensive exploration of the ubiquitous problem of marine plastic pollution in the Anthropocene, providing a vital lexicon for all stakeholders. This linguistic toolkit enables effective communication and mutual understanding among scientists, policymakers, activists, and the general public, fostering tailored and targeted approaches to address the various facets of plastic pollution. It further underscores the profound human impact on the environment to the extent that our plastic litter might symbolize the inception of a new geological epoch. However, these classifications, while mirroring our role in shaping the Earth, do not mitigate the urgent need to address plastic pollution. Rather, they serve as an urgent call to action, emphasizing the power we possess to solve the problem we have created. As we traverse this era full with plastic, our responsibility is to leverage this lexicon not only to comprehend the extent of the damage caused but also to ignite innovative solutions and foster resilience. Regardless of the nomenclature assigned to our era, our duty to safeguard the planet remains paramount.

Three-century climate variations recovered from Lake Heilongtan in southwest China and potential Anthropogenic evidences

Under increasing influences of human activities on earth surface system, the concept of Anthropocene has been proposed and widely investigated to represent such a human-dominated geological epoch. To acquire further details about the Anthropocene, investigations on high-resolution continuous records are essentially necessary, especially for regions under notable human impacts. Here, a continuous sediment record covering the past three centuries was collected from Lake Heilongtan, a closed basin lake located in the Hengduan Mountains, in southwest China. High-resolution sedimentary proxies were examined to reconstruct past climate and environment changes, including grain size distribution, geochemical element composition, and organic matter content. The results indicated that water levels were relatively higher under generally warm and wet conditions between 1717 and 1800 CE, while a decline in regional moisture after 1800 CE caused serious shrinkage of the lake level. Comparisons with regional paleoclimate records revealed that solar activity played a significant role in promoting climate variations in southwest China. After 1910 CE, the sedimentary proxies revealed an out-of-phase with regional climate changes, especially the progressive increase after 1950 CE. With the expansion of regional population, the intensified human activities have possibly affected the catchment erosion and sedimentation processes, accounting for the deviation from natural climate changes. Accordingly, the reconstructed sedimentation history in Lake Heilongtan experienced a possible transition from natural-driven to human-dominant status during the past three centuries, revealing potential evidence for the Anthropocene in southwest China.