• This refers to the period in earth’s history when human activities began to have a significant impact on the state of the planet’s ecology.
• The term was popularised by Dutch chemist and Nobel laureate Paul J. Crutzen in his 2002 article ‘Geology of Mankind’ published in the journal, Nature.
• Crutzen proposed that the Anthropocene period, which is currently underway, began during the latter part of the 18th century when Scottish inventor James Watt invented the steam engine.
• It is marked by increasing concentration of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere which has had a substantial impact on the global climate.

Source:TH