Abstract: Increasing environmental challenges have led to the concept of the ‘Anthropocene’. In a broad sense it denotes the period since the Neolithic revolution during which Homo sapiens has become a geological force on the planetary surface. More narrowly it refers to the period after the industrial revolution, especially since the 1950s, during which the effects on the environment from human activity have accelerated. In the Anthropocene the biosphere is deeply affected by human society and almost the whole physical world we encounter is man-made.
Keywords: Anthropocene, Anthropocene denial, grand challenges, planetary boundaries, sustainability, environmental ethics.