The anthropocene working group composed of 34 renowned scientists from around the world, voted this week to designate a new geologic epoch to mark the profound ways in which humans have altered the planet. China Daily writer Zhang Zhouxiang comments:

The panel plans to submit a formal proposal to the International Commission on Stratigraphy, the geological timekeeper, for formal recognition of the new epoch in which the Earth has been "profoundly impacted by human behavior" by 2021.

For a long time, there have been discussions about what should be considered the start of the Anthropocene era, with some suggesting the start of the Industrial Revolution, others the emergence of the oil industry. The working group proposes the start of the new epoch should be the mid-20th century, when the first atomic bomb blasts littered the globe with radioactive debris that became embedded in sediments and glacial ice, becoming part of the geologic record.

But a noteworthy detail is that four scientists voted against the decision, saying that the Anthropocene began with a series of things including prehistorical agriculture, instead of just one single incident.

Their views are not unreasonable. The whole of human history is our ever-growing impact on the world in which we live, as we have constantly changed it to suit our own needs. It is right to describe the human impact on nature since the mid-20th century as "profound", but the past impacts, accumulated over thousands of years, have also been profound.

It should be stressed that "profound impact upon the Earth" is a neutral concept that does not necessarily favor good or bad. Every species needs to survive and Homo sapiens are simply the most adept at making the natural world more amenable to its survival. However, when that impact exceeds to the Earth's limits to provide and does permanent damage to the ecological environment, that will be bad for both the environment, other species and Homo sapiens.

The spread of radioactive elements, the billions of tons of plastic waste littering the Earth, the destruction of rain forests and other natural biospheres, the unrestrained killing of other species, all these have already profoundly and negatively impacted on the Earth's ecological environment in all aspects. Unless we can restrain ourselves, the day is rapidly nearing when the Earth will still travel around the sun, but highly possibly without any humans on it, as it will no longer be able to support us.

That's also a major reason why scientists are so active in designating the Anthropocene, because they hope to let the public realize this. Whether official recognition of the Anthropocene is forthcoming or not, their efforts should be viewed as a warning to all nations to join hands for environmental protection so that Anthropocene will not be the last and shortest geological period.