GEO GRAPHIC

Timeline of human impact

In 2016, the Anthropocene Working Group (AWG) voted in favour of recognising a new geological epoch: the Anthropocene. Whether its decision will be ratified by the International Union of Geological Sciences remains to be seen, but what is certain is that our species has left numerous marks on the Earth’s systems, environment, processes and biodiversity. Although the AWG believes that the Anthropocene started during the Great Acceleration in the mid-20th century, some scientists argue that it began much earlier, when humans first began farming. The following timeline presents some of the major events associated with the Anthropocene, as selected by Globaïa, an NGO dedicated to the promotion of planetary awareness, and international partners that include the Stockholm Resilience Centre.

Second World War: Sparks a scientific arms race that eventually leads to the creation of the atomic bomb

Development of new chemical compounds, including chlorofluorocarbons (CFC). CFCs are used widely in aerosol sprays and refrigerators until it’s discovered that they destroy ozone in the upper atmosphere, causing a large ozone ‘hole’ to open above Antarctica

On Monday 16 July 1945, US scientists detonate the world’s first nuclear bomb. Radioactive material from this and subsequent detonations have left an unmistakable trace in rocks globally

The First World War: Industrialisation applied to war drives violence and destruction while also spurring technical innovation

Colonisation of the ‘Old’ world by the ‘New’ causes a huge mixing of plants, animals and diseases. Carnage and epidemics bring farming to a low in the Americas, and atmospheric CO2 dips in around 1610, as forests begin to regrow

, , Appearance of Homo erectus

, Earth’s soils begin to show signs of human- caused wear and tear, including widespread phosphorus left over from fertiliser

Scientific revolution: The emergence of modern science, when developments in physics, mathematics, astronomy, biology and chemistry transformed views of society and nature

Ford Motor company introduces the first moving assembly line

, Rice production starts to have a considerable effect on the environment due to the release of methane

Coal becomes a major source of energy. In 1700, five-sixths of the world’s coal is mined in Britain

Creation of the first commercial steam engine

. GEOGRAPHICAL

, Homo sapiens leaves Africa and spread throughout Eurasia and Australia

, , Appearance of Homo genus

, Extensive farming spreads across Europe and Asia, with large-scale ecological consequences

, Megafauna extinction linked to human overhunting , First cave paintings (found in Indonesia)

and Neanderthal extinction

, Domestication of cattle, as well as dogs, goats and possibly sheep

, First large urban settlement in Anatolia, Turkey

, Agriculture starts to impact ecosystems, biodiversity and the cycles of nature