Anthropocene: The era of human influence may have begun in 1952

In a new study published in the scientific journal Earth, Atmospheric and Planetary Sciences, a group of researchers suggest that: The Anthropocene, the geological period that shows the impact of human activities on Earth, may have begun in the mid-1950s.

Understanding the Anthropocene can be a complex task, especially when trying to determine when it all began, because human impact on Earth began thousands of years ago.

According to other articles, There are records that the first impact of humans on the Earth occurred 12 thousand years ago, with the beginning of agriculture.; 8 thousand years ago with agricultural societies; and with the development of rice farming through irrigation about 5 thousand years ago. These may seem like small changes, but for a planet that has never gone through these transformations, this is a relatively impactful thing.

If this happened while we were still living in a primitive society, imagine the changes caused by the Industrial Revolution in Europe between 1700 and 1800. After analyzing a variety of information, scientists in the new study specifically suggest that the Anthropocene may have begun. The year 1952 was a period marked by the various impacts of human activity on the planet.

“Our study revealed that the number of anthropogenic fingerprints in global layers began to increase abruptly from AD 1952 ± 3. This signal may reflect the onset of significant anthropogenic changes in the Earth system, providing definitive stratigraphic evidence. This unprecedented synchronous rise has potential significance in defining the future onset of the Anthropocene.” is explained in the introduction part of the study.

Anthropocene: Human impact on Earth

During the study, scientists analyzed anthropological records dating back 7,700 years at 137 sites around the world. They concluded that the Anthropocene may have begun in three specific periods.

First, they thought this might have occurred between 1855 and 1890 due to changes brought about by the Industrial Revolution. Second, they believe it may have started between 1909 and 1944 due to an increase in carbon concentrations. Finally, investigated that it may have started between 1948 and 1953 due to pollutants, microplastics, greenhouse gases, among other factors.

As the authors conclude, the last option is likely, as a rapid increase in human activities has been observed in geological layers in Europe, Oceania, Antarctica, North America, among other regions. Especially, this increase started to show more changes after 1952.

“In the wake of this global fingerprint explosion, profound changes begin on a planetary scale, including deviations from established natural climatic conditions. “This unprecedented increase in anthropogenic signals worldwide suggests that human impacts began to correspond to many natural forces that controlled processes and cycles and suppressed some of the functioning of the Earth system around 1952,” the study adds.

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