abstract

Concern about accelerating human impact on Earth systems coincides with discussion of adding a new proposed geologic epoch that would document the Age of Humans. This research contributes a human-environment timeline prototype. Time-period classification provides academics and citizens alike with a common temporal reference frame for discussion and further investigation. A hierarchical human-environment timeline was built from analysis of entries in four geographic encyclopedias. Through grounded theory, an open-ended, qualitative analysis of dates identified important events in the human-environment relationship and major ideas that shaped environmental perception. The resulting timeline prototype features a typology of periods based on five relative timescales: lengthy Durations, Duration Revolutions, intermediate-scale Scenes, Scene Transitions, and shorter Intervals. Four long-term Durations emerge: Survival (2,598,050 to 318,050 BCE), Adaptation (318,050 to 4,050 BCE), Keystone (4,950 BCE to 1945 CE), and Acceleration (1945 CE –). The timeline provides a foundation for further scholarly analysis and thinking.

摘要

对加速人类对地球系统影响的关注与讨论增加一个新的提议的地质纪元，该纪元将记录人类时代相吻合。这项研究为人类环境时间表原型做出了贡献。时间周期分类为学者和市民提供了共同的时间参考框架，以供讨论和进一步研究。通过分析四个地理百科全书中的条目，构建了分层的人类环境时间表。通过扎根的理论，对日期进行不限成员名额的定性分析，确定了人与环境关系中的重要事件以及影响环境感知的重大思想。产生的时间轴原型具有基于五个相对时间尺度的时段类型：较长的持续时间，持续时间旋转，中等尺度的场景，场景过渡，和更短的时间间隔。出现了四个长期期限：生存期（公元前2,598,050至318,050），改编（公元前318,050至4,050），基斯通（公元前4,950至1945 CE）和加速期（1945 CE –）。该时间表为进一步的学术分析和思考奠定了基础。