1] Department of Geography, University College London, Gower Street, London, WC1E 6BT, UK [2] School of Geography, University of Leeds, Leeds, LS2 9JT, UK.
Department of Geography, University College London, Gower Street, London, WC1E 6BT, UK.
Nature. 2015 Mar 12;519(7542):171-80. doi: 10.1038/nature14258.
Time is divided by geologists according to marked shifts in Earth's state. Recent global environmental changes suggest that Earth may have entered a new human-dominated geological epoch, the Anthropocene. Here we review the historical genesis of the idea and assess anthropogenic signatures in the geological record against the formal requirements for the recognition of a new epoch. The evidence suggests that of the various proposed dates two do appear to conform to the criteria to mark the beginning of the Anthropocene: 1610 and 1964. The formal establishment of an Anthropocene Epoch would mark a fundamental change in the relationship between humans and the Earth system.
地质学家根据地球状态的明显变化对时间进行划分。最近全球环境的变化表明,地球可能已经进入了一个新的以人类为主导的地质时代,即人类世。在这里,我们回顾了这一概念的历史渊源,并根据识别新地质时代的正式要求,评估了地质记录中人为特征的证据。这表明,在各种提议的日期中,有两个日期似乎符合标志人类世开始的标准:1610 年和 1964 年。正式确立人类世新纪元将标志着人类与地球系统之间关系的根本性变化。