Paul J. Crutzen and the Anthropocene: A New Epoch in Earth's History

This book outlines the development and perspectives of the Anthropocene concept by Paul J. Crutzen and his colleagues from its inception to its implications for the sciences, humanities, society and politics. The main text consists primarily of articles from peer-reviewed scientific journals and other scholarly sources. It comprises selected articles on the Anthropocene published by Paul J. Crutzen and a selection of related articles, mostly but not exclusively by colleagues with whom he collaborated closely. . In the year 2000 Nobel Laureate Paul J. Crutzen proposed the Anthropocene concept as a new epoch in Earth's history . Comprehensive collection of articles on the Anthropocene by Paul J. Crutzen and his colleagues. Unique primary research literature and Crutzen's comprehensive bibliography. Paul Crutzen's scientific investigations into human influences on atmospheric chemistry and physics, the climate and the Earth system, leading to the conception of the Anthropocene. Reflections on the Anthropocene and its implications. Bibliometric review of the spread of the use of the Anthropocene concept in the Natural and Social Sciences, Humanities and Law

Autorentext

Dr. Susanne Benner is head of communications at the Max Planck Institute for Chemistry in Mainz since 2011. She studied biology at the RWTH Aachen University in Germany and obtained a Ph.D. time in organic chemistry at the Swiss Federal University Zurich (ETHZ). Dr. Gregor Lax is a research scholar at the Max Planck Institute for the History of Science in Berlin. With a PhD from University of Bielefeld (2014), he worked at the Max-Planck-Institute for Chemistry and for the German Council for Science and Humanities (Wissenschaftsrat). Prof. Dr. Paul J. Crutzen (+) was a director at the Max Planck Institute for Chemistry in Mainz. He received the Nobel Prize in Chemistry in 1995 for his work on ozone depletion. He addressed the Nuclear Winter in the 1980s and coined the Anthropocene concept in 2000. Prof. Dr. Ulrich Pöschl is director of the Multiphase Chemistry Department at the Max Planck Institute for Chemistry and professor at the Johannes Gutenberg University in Mainz. He studied chemistry at the TU of Graz, Austria, and he worked at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, at the Max Planck Institute for Chemistry, and at the TU of Munich. Prof. Dr. Jos Lelieveld studied natural sciences Leiden Univ. (1984), obtained a PhD in Physics and Astronomy Utrecht Univ. (1990), was Prof. of Atmospheric Physics and Chemistry Univ. of Wageningen and Utrecht (1993-2000). Since 2000 he is Director and Scientific Member at the Max Planck Institute for Chemistry and Professor in Atmospheric Physics, University of Mainz. PD Dr. Hans Günter Brauch taught as an Adj. Prof. international relations at the Free University of Berlin, he has been chairman of Peace Research and European Security Studies (AFES-PRESS) since 1987 and of the board of the HGB Foundation on Peace and ecology in the Anthropocene (HGBS) since 2000 and editor of five book series with Springer Nature.

Inhalt

Prologue: From Anthropogenic Influences to the Anthropocene.- Part I: Fundamental Concepts.- The 'Anthropocene'- Geology of Mankind - The Anthropocene.- The 'Anthropocene'- How Long Have We Been in the Anthropocene Era?- The Anthropocene: Are Humans Now Overwhelming the Great Forces of Nature?- Are We Now Living in the Anthropocene?- The New World of the Anthropocene.- The Anthropocene: A New Epoch of Geological Time?- The Anthropocene: Conceptual and Historical Perspectives.- The Anthropocene.- The Palaeoanthropocene - The Beginnings of Anthropogenic Environmental Change.- The Trajectory of the Anthropocene: The Great Acceleration.- Was the Anthropocene Anticipated?- Part ii: Geological Definition and Characterisation.- A Stratigraphical Basis for the Anthropocene?- Can an Anthropocene Series be Defined and Recognized?- Defining the Anthropocene.- When Did the Anthropocene Begin? A Mid-twentieth Century Boundary Level is Stratigraphically Optimal.- The Anthropocene is Functionally and Stratigraphically Distinct from the Holocene.- Abstract plus.- The Anthropocene: A Conspicuous Stratigraphical Signal of Anthropogenic Changes in Production and Consumption Across the Biosphere.- Stratigraphic and Earth System Approaches to Defining the Anthropocene.- Global boundary stratotype section and point (GSSP) for the Anthropocene Series: Where and how to look for potential candidates.- Part iii: Scientific Perspectives and Implications.- The Effects of Industrial and Agricultural Practices on Atmospheric Chemistry and Climate During the Anthropocene.- Atmospheric Chemistry in the 'Anthropocene'- Atmospheric Chemistry and Climate in the Anthropocene. Where Are We Heading?- Earth System Dynamics in the Anthropocene.- Atmospheric Chemistry and Climate in the Anthropocene.- Fate of Mountain Glaciers in the Anthropocene.- Atmospheric Chemistry and Climate in the Anthropocene.- Climate, Atmospheric Chemistry and Biogenic Processes in the Anthropocene.- Perspectives on our Planet in the Anthropocene.- The Anthropocene Biosphere.- The Contribution of Outdoor Air Pollution Sources to Premature Mortality on a Global Scale.- Multiphase Chemistry at the Atmosphere-Biosphere Interface Influencing Climate and Public Health in the Anthropocene.- The Anthropocene as Rupture.- Air Pollution and Climate Change Effects on Allergies in the Anthropocene.- The Significance of Land-Atmosphere Interactions in the Earth System-iLEAPS Achievements and Perspec-tives.- Clean air in the Anthropocene.- Reactive oxygen species formed in aqueous mixtures of secondary organic aerosols and mineral dust influencing cloud chemistry and public health in the Anthropocene.- Part IV: Societal and Political Perspectives.- Living in the Anthropocene: Toward a New Global Ethos.- The Anthropocene: From Global Change to Planetary Stewardship.- On the Way to the Anthropocene. Consequences of Scientific Research, Societal Understanding and Political Responsibility.- Sustainability in the Anthropocene.- Earth's Future in the Anthropocene: Technological Interventions Between Piecemeal and Utopian Social Engineering.- Planetary Boundaries: Guiding Human Development on a Changing Planet.- Re-conceptualizing the Anthropocene: A Call for Collaboration.- Plausible and Desirable Futures in the Anthropocene: A New Research Agenda.- Was Breaking the Taboo on Climate Engineering via Albedo Modification a Moral Hazard or a Moral Imperative?- Bridging the Great Divide-the Anthropocene as a Challenge to the Social Sciences and Humanities.- Declaration of the Health of People, Health of Planet and Our Responsibility Climate Change, Air Pollution and Health Workshop.- Well below 2 °C: Mitigation strategies for avoiding dangerous to catastrophic climate changes.- Well Under 2 Degrees Celsius: Fast Action Policies to Protect People and the Planet from Extreme Climate Change.- Transition to a Safe Anthropocene.- Part V: The Anthropocene - Reflections.- Review of the Emerging Debates on the Anthropocene in the Natural and Social Sciences, in the Humanities, National and International Law and in Politics and Policies.- Part VI: Appendix: Additional Materials on the Anthropocene and on Paul J. Crutzen.- "The Anthropocene Lecture"- Anthropocene Symposium Brochure.- Crutzen +10: Special Section in Earth's Future.- Selected Interviews with Paul J. Crutzen (2011-2016).- Selected References to Books, Exhibitions, Conferences.- Complete Bibliography of Paul J. Crutzen.- Abbreviations.