The authors update the ‘Great Acceleration’ graphs of socio-economic and Earth System trends from 1750 to 2010, differentiating between wealthy, emerging, and other countries. Earth system indicators continue their long-term rise, with notable acceleration in the mid-20th century driven by human activities. The year 1950 therefore represents the most convincing start date for the Great Acceleration and the Anthropocene from an Earth System science perspective.
The Trajectory of the Anthropocene: The Great Acceleration
![Human system Human system](https://rhhxvn7uhjqx-u5525.pressidiumcdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/10/Human-system.png)
Author(s)
Will Steffen, Wendy Broadgate, Lisa Deutsch, Owen Gaffney, and Cornelia Ludwig
Publication Date
16 January 2015
Publisher
The Anthropocene Review (vol. 2, iss. 1)
DOI / URL
![Human system Human system](https://rhhxvn7uhjqx-u5525.pressidiumcdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/10/Human-system.png)
Resource Type
Academic Journal Article
Systems Addressed
Earth System
Resource Theme
Theory Building