Are we already living in the Anthropocene?

For the past three years, the Anthropocene Working Group (AWG) has undertaken extensive research at 12 different locations across the globe to search for geological evidence of recent planetary change provoked by industrialized humanity. The AWG’s aim was to identify a geological reference section, a so-called Global boundary Stratotype Section and Point (GSSP,  commonly referred to as the “Golden Spike”) that would indicate the start of a new Earth epoch, the Anthropocene. The research process has been closely accompanied by the Haus der Kulturen der Welt (HKW) and the Max Planck Institute for the History of Science (MPIWG) within the collaborative framework of the Anthropocene Curriculum.

On July 11, 2023 at 7pm CET, the scientists of the AWG will present their proposed Anthropocene GSSP candidate in a joint online press conference with the Max Planck Society and former members of the HKW. The press conference takes place as a special event of the international Max Planck Society Conference for a Sustainable Anthropocene.

Speakers:

• Jürgen Renn (Director MPI for the History of Science and Founding Director MPI of Geoanthropology)
• Bernd Scherer (Former Director of HKW)
• Katrin Klingan (Former Head of the Department Literature and Humanities, HKW)
• Colin Waters (Chair of the AWG)
• Simon Turner (Secretary of the AWG)
• Principal Investigators of the proposed Anthropocene GSSP candidate site

The event is open to the public for online participation. To participate, please register via dept1-events@mpiwg-berlin.mpg.de.