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Geologists reject the Anthropocene as Earth’s new epoch — after 15 years of debate

But some are now challenging the vote, saying there were ‘procedural irregularities’.
  1. Alexandra Witze
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An aerial view of a lake surrounded by trees.

The sediments of Crawford Lake near Toronto, Canada, have collected and preserved signs of humanity’s impact on Earth, including microplastics and plutonium from hydrogen-bomb tests. Credit: The Canadian Press/Alamy

After 15 years of discussion and exploration, a committee of researchers has decided that the Anthropocene — generally understood to be the age of irreversible human impacts on the planet — will not become an official epoch in Earth’s geological timeline. The ruling, first reported by The New York Times, is meant to be final, but is being challenged by two leading members of the committee that ran the vote.

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Nature 627, 249-250 (2024)

doi: https://doi.org/10.1038/d41586-024-00675-8

Updates & Corrections

  • Correction 06 March 2024: An earlier version of this story incorrectly stated that there was a ten-year waiting period before a failed proposal could be resubmitted to the SQS. That waiting period applies to different circumstances, and there is no existing guidance on resubmitting failed proposals.

References

  1. McCarthy, F. M. G. et al. Anthropocene Rev. 10, 146–176 (2023).

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  2. Walker, M. J. C. et al. Boreas 53, 1–3 (2024).

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