Welcome to the Cluster of Excellence Earth and the Anthropocene (ERA)

Unprecedented urbanisation and industrialisation in the past two centuries have changed the course of natural processes on our planet. The world human population has increased by a factor of seven, whilst water, energy use and associated air pollution have increased exponentially. At the same time, species extinction has increased by orders of magnitude compared to pre-human levels, and many agricultural soils have been seriously degraded, threatening our ability to feed the growing world population. This is the Anthropocene, a term coined by Mainz Nobel Laureate Paul Crutzen and now widely recognized as the most recent geological age.

The cluster aims to quantify developments in the Anthropocene by comparing and contrasting natural element cycles and geological dynamics with and without the effects of humans. To what extent does the anthropogenic acceleration of natural processes and cycles affect the functioning of the Earth system? Could tipping points be reached at which dramatic changes in environmental or climatic conditions will be triggered?