In 2003 Paul Crutzen and Will Steffen asserted that across Earth’s 4.5-billion-year history no analogue could be found for the Anthropocene. An analogue can, however, be located in the dim Precambrian past when, through oxygenic photosynthesis, cyanobacteria produced enough oxygen to alter the composition and character of the Earth System. The ‘Great Oxygenation Event’ that followed wiped out much of Earth’s anaerobic life while giving rise to all subsequent aerobic life. It also offers a clear comparison with the Anthropocene that implicates how we think about our current predicament.

中文翻译：

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藻类和氧气，人类和碳：人类世的前寒武纪类似物

保罗·克鲁岑（Paul Crutzen）和威尔·斯特芬（Will Steffen）于2003年断言，在地球45亿年的历史中，没有发现人类世的类似物。然而，当蓝细菌通过有氧的光合作用产生足够的氧气以改变地球系统的组成和特征时，类似物可以位于前寒武纪的暗处。随后发生的“大氧事件”消灭了地球的许多厌氧生活，同时又增加了随后的所有有氧生活。它也提供了与人类世的明显比较，暗示了我们如何思考当前的困境。