Friday, 29 April 2011

11th May - The Anthropocene: A New Epoch of Geological Time?

This important international and interdisciplinary conference features:
Keynote Address from Nobel Laureate Professor Paul Crutzen
Eminent speakers from the worlds of geology, Earth systems science, ecology, law and the media – including Will Steffen, Dennis Dimick, Davor Vidas, Andrew Revkin, James Syvitski, Dorothy Merritts, Erle Ellis and Toby Tyrrell
Venue:  The Geological Society (Burlington House)
Has humanity’s impact on the Earth been so significant that it defines a new geological epoch?  In the blink of a geological eye, through our need for energy, food, water, minerals, for space in which to live and play, we have wrought changes to Earth’s environment and life that are as significant as any known in the geological record.
In 2000, Nobel Prize winner Paul Crutzen first characterised this ‘perfect storm’ of human impacts on the planet, its ecosystems and the geological record as constituting a new ‘Anthropocene’ geological epoch, and the concept has since gained a firm foothold, both in the geological community and more widely.  Its significance is not simply a matter of geological taxonomy – it constitutes a new organising principle for natural and social scientists from a wide range of disciplines studying our interactions with life and the planet, for policy makers addressing resource use and environmental challenges, and for a broader public engaging with these debates through traditional and new media.
Registration rates:
Fellow / corporate affiliate £45.00
Non-Fellow £90.00
Student £0.00
Retired £25.00

To register, or to find out more about this conference, visit our website.

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