人類の活動が地球環境に及ぼす影響の大きさについては疑う余地がないでしょう。地質時代区分において、地球環境に対する人類の影響度が著しく増大した時代を指す言葉に「人新世」があります。そもそもこのように定義づけることや、その始まりはいつに設定するのかなどについて進行形の議論もあり、人新世という概念・捉え方について解説し、今後の進展を展望します。
　　

• Describes the ways in which humanity has left its mark on the Earth, from pollution and the use of fossil fuels to mass extinctions
• Offers an up to date synthesis of the science of the Anthropocene, drawing on the work of geologists, geographers, environmental scientists, archaeologists, and oceanographers to show how this is an issue at the heart of environmental politics
• Considers key debates in the area, in particular where to locate the beginning of the Anthropocene in time, and whether it should be defined as a specific epoch on the Geological Timescale
• Presents the Anthropocene more broadly as a new narrative forcing a radical revision of age-old questions concerning humans and our relationship with nature

 
The proposal that the impact of humanity on the planet has left a distinct footprint, even on the scale of geological time, has recently gained much ground. Global climate change, shifting global cycles of the weather, widespread pollution, radioactive fallout, plastic accumulation, species invasions, the mass extinction of species - these are just some of the many indicators that we will leave a lasting record in rock, the scientific basis for recognizing new time intervals in Earth's history. The Anthropocene, as the proposed new epoch has been named, is regularly in the news. 

Even with such robust evidence, the proposal to formally recognize our current time as the Anthropocene remains controversial both inside and outside the scholarly world, kindling intense debates. The reason is clear. The Anthropocene represents far more than just another interval of geologic time. Instead, the Anthropocene has emerged as a powerful new narrative, a concept through which age-old questions about the meaning of nature and even the nature of humanity are being revisited and radically revised. 

This Very Short Introduction explains the science behind the Anthropocene and the many proposals about when to mark its beginning: the nuclear tests of the 1950s? The beginnings of agriculture? The origins of humans as a species? Erle Ellis considers the many ways that the Anthropocene's "evolving paradigm" is reshaping the sciences, stimulating the humanities, and foregrounding the politics of life on a planet transformed by humans. The Anthropocene remains a work in progress. Is this the story of an unprecedented planetary disaster? Or of newfound wisdom and redemption? Ellis offers an insightful discussion of our role in shaping the planet, and how this will influence our future on many fronts.