Have we Entered the Anthropocene? Human-Induced Climate Change
Joseph F. Donoghue, Ph.D.
Associate Professor, Planetary Sciences Group
UCF Department of Physics
The Anthropocene is a proposed new epoch in the geologic timescale, representing the time in Earth’s history during which humans have taken over from nature as the major agent of change. There is mounting evidence that this is true. Research has focused on several questions, including when the Anthropocene began, and how much of the observable change is attributable to humans versus natural cycles.
There is some evidence that human actions have been altering Earth’s climate for more than 7,000 years, due to the development of agriculture and livestock domestication. Global climate models project greenhouse gases doubling over pre-industrial levels during the next century, significantly accelerating the rise in global temperature and sea level. Florida is one of the places where the projected sea-level rise will be most strongly felt.
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