This refers to the period in earth’s history when human activities began to have a significant impact on the state of the planet’s ecology. The term was popularised by Dutch chemist and Nobel laureate Paul J. Crutzen in his 2002 article ‘Geology of Mankind’ published in the journal, Nature . Crutzen proposed that the Anthropocene period, which is currently underway, began during the latter part of the 18th century when Scottish inventor James Watt invented the steam engine. It is marked by increasing concentration of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere which has had a substantial impact on the global climate.
