La controversia sobre el antropoceno como oportunidad: una cuestión de enfoques en lugar de designaciones formales.

Abstract

Since the beginning of this century the term ‘Anthropocene’ has been used to define the present time in which human activities have produced great changes in geological processes and their conditions. Defined by Crutzen and Stoermer (2000), its conceptualization is currently under discussion within the Working Group of the Quaternary Stratigraphy Sub-Commission of the International Commission on Stratigraphy. In principle, this new geological epoch could have the same hierarchy as others such as the Pleistocene and the Holocene; although it could also be included as a subdivision of the latter. The debate is particularly focused on identifying the geological signs that define it so that it becomes clearly and distinctly recognizable. Recently, various discussions about its definition, origins and application have taken place, but leaving aside the perspectives of the social and human sciences. From this standpoint, we propose three theses that, in our opinion, should be taken into consideration by its definition.