To address the Anthropocene, engage the liberal arts
June 1, 2017 - Bostic, Heidi; Howey, Meghan
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EmailJournal or Book Title: ANTHROPOCENE
DOI:10.1016/j.ancene.2017.06.002
Abstract: With the announcement by the Working Group on the Anthropocene at the 35th International Geological Congress in August 2016, we may see the formalization of the Anthropocene as a geological epoch. Since the idea of a human-dominated geological epoch supplanting the Holocene emerged as a major scholarly and public topic a decade and a half ago (Crutzen and Stoermer, 2000: 17; Crutzen, 2002: 23), much energy has focused on identifying the "golden spike" moment of this epoch (see Erlandson and Braje, 2013; Smith and Zeder, 2013; Steffan et al., 2011). The Working Group on the Anthropocene selected one of the more recent "golden spike" candidates, proposing 1950 and radioactive elements as the necessary stratigraphic signature for an epoch declaration. We may agree that something geologically significant happened circa 1950, but what it was, why it happened and how we ought to respond remain open questions. Although defining the "when" of the Anthropocene is important, the who, what, where and why are equally, if not more, compelling and challenging questions we must ask.
Type of Publication: Article
