Anthropocene Working Group
To understand and communicate what the Anthropocene is, and what it means for the Earth System and the human endeavour
What is the Anthropocene?
Thousands of scholarly articles and millions of mentions on the internet reflect a wide variety of ideas about what the Anthropocene actually is. A scientific reality is that hundreds of signals preserved in geological deposits, myriad data from other scientific fields, and societal norms indicate that since the middle of the 20th century, human impacts have been substantially different with respect to the rest of human history. It is this last seven decades or so that justifiably can be recognized as the Anthropocene epoch
Unprecedented planetary change in the 20th century
Planetary geology has always changed, why the fuss?
Exploring the Anthropocene
Humans have altered their environment since forever, what’s so special about the last 70 years?
The Anthropocene Curriculum
The Anthropocene Curriculum was initiated to develop experimental and experiential approaches to knowledge formation in a rapidly changing planetary situation.
Anthropocene Commons
The Anthropocene Commons (AC) is a network of researchers, educators, activists, artists, scientists, and partner groups from all over the world working on the Anthropocene, the current time period in which human activities have fundamentally changed the planet.
AWG Member Papers
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Response to Damianos—Anthropocene angst: Authentic geology and stratigraphic sincerity
Waters, C.N., Zalasiewicz, J., Head, M.J., Schäfer, G.N., McCarthy, F.M. and Turner, S.D., 2025. Response to Damianos—Anthropocene angst: Authentic geology and stratigraphic sincerity. Social Studies of Science, 55(3), 465-478.https://doi.org/10.1177/03063127251343046
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Reply to Edgeworth et al.(2024): The Anthropocene is a time interval, and more besides
Zalasiewicz, J., Head, M.J., Waters, C.N., Summerhayes, C., Turner, S., Wagreich, M., Aquilina, L., Cearreta, A., Chakraborty, A., Gałuszka, A. and Hajdas, I., 2025. Reply to Edgeworth et al.(2024): The Anthropocene is a time interval, and more besides. Earth’s Future, 13(9), e2024EF005612.https://doi.org/10.1029/2024EF005612
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High-resolution analysis of the varved succession at Crawford lake across the base of the proposed Crawfordian stage and Anthropocene series
McCarthy, F.M., Patterson, R.T., Walsh, C., Lafond, K.M., Cumming, B.F., Cundy, A.B., Hain, K., Gaca, P., Steier, P., Boom, A., Hamilton, P.B., et al. 2025. High-resolution analysis of the varved succession at Crawford lake across the base of the proposed Crawfordian stage and Anthropocene series. The Anthropocene Review, 12 (2), 243-272 https://doi.org/10.1177/20530196251315454
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Paper: Anthropocene Literacy for Science Education
Lee, Sg., Park, B.S. Anthropocene Literacy for Science Education. Science & Education (2024). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11191-024-00541-z (open access)
Other Curated Papers
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Why the Anthropocene Epoch is a more pertinent concept than the Anthropocene event for understanding ongoing Earth system transition.
Chakraborty, A. (2024). Why the Anthropocene Epoch is a more pertinent concept than the Anthropocene event for understanding ongoing Earth system transition. The Anthropocene Review, 12(1), 118-128. https://doi.org/10.1177/20530196241270665
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The Evolving concept of the Anthropocene: A reply to Zalasiewicz et al.
Edgeworth, M., Bauer, A. M., Ellis, E. C., Finney, S. C., Gibbard, P. L., Maslin, M., et al. (2025). The Evolving concept of the Anthropocene: A reply to Zalasiewicz et al. Earth’s Future, 13, e2025EF006882.https://doi.org/10.1029/2025EF006882
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Global change pattern of sedimentary nitrogen isotope during the Anthropocene epoch.
Li, X., Lu, M., Wu, J. et al. Global change pattern of sedimentary nitrogen isotope during the Anthropocene epoch. Commun Earth Environ 6, 809 (2025). https://doi.org/10.1038/s43247-025-02773-5