GoKawiilScientists renew dispute over IUGS rejection of Anthropocene epoch proposal
A group led by historian Jürgen Renn has published a paper in Earth's Future alleging that unpublished documents show the 2024 vote by the International Union of Geological Sciences to reject formally naming a new Anthropocene epoch was improperly conducted and never clearly explained. The authors are calling on the IUGS to release the relevant records and commission an independent review of the voting process. Geologist Adele Bertini, who co-chaired the subcommittee that oversaw the vote, says the process was fair and has previously published a technical justification for the rejection.
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The dispute reopens a long-running scientific disagreement over whether human impact on Earth warrants a formal new epoch in geological classification, a decision with symbolic weight for how science frames the climate and environmental crisis. Renn and his co-authors argue that transparency in the vote is needed to preserve public trust in geoscience institutions, suggesting the controversy could affect broader credibility if left unresolved. The outcome of any review could reshape how the term Anthropocene is used in both science and public discourse.
- A new paper alleges the 2024 IUGS vote rejecting the Anthropocene epoch proposal was procedurally flawed.
- The paper's authors are demanding release of internal documents and an independent review.
- A co-chair of the voting subcommittee defends the process as fair and points to a published technical rationale.
Source: nature.com — Dinneen, 2026-10-01
Published there as: “Battle of the Anthropocene: allegations re-ignite row over proposed geologic epoch”
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