The Anthropocene concept captures the realization that humanity is interfering, interacting, and communicating with the Earth’s long-term systems with increasing intensity. What happens to Earth could be called anthropoization. This is a new phase for the planet and a new experience for us as a species. In the Pleistocene, when modern humans evolved, they were hunters and gatherers exposed mainly passively to the powers of the Earth. In the Holocene, when humans started farming, building cities, mining, and fishing, they exploited a natural treasure trove that had built up over 4.5 billion years without considering the effects of their actions. The Holocene was the stage for a human rebellion against natural limits. It was a successful rebellion. Now, in the dawning Anthropocene, it looks as if the future Earth will be dominated by human action (unless, as Paul Crutzen has stated in his seminal article “Geology of Mankind” in Nature magazine, “there is a global catastrophe—a meteorite impact, a world war, or a pandemic”). In addition, the anthropogenic changes will feed back on humans and how they perceive the world.
Neurogeology: The Anthropocene’s Inspirational Power Schwägerl, C. In: Anthropocene - Envisionig the Future of the Age of Humans (Trischler, H.) RCC-Perspectives 2, 29-37. 2013. Rahcel Carson Center, Munich