Anthropogenic transformation

Definition and etymology

The adjective anthropogenic describes those objects and phenomena that have their origins in the activities of humans. It is compounded of the Greek ‘anthropos’ (human), and the suffix ‘genic’ (having origin in). In the context of environmental science, anthropogenic changes are those transformations of the Earth's atmosphere, biosphere, hydrosphere, lithosphere and pedosphere that result from human action. In the present context this use of the term should be distinguished from the more restricted use made by evolutionary biologists, who employ it to refer to the origins of humans themselves.

The term anthropogenicis common in the scientific literature of Britain, the USA, Russia, France and Germany. Its first use in a technical context can be attributed to the Russian geologist Pavlov in 1922, and a sophisticated exploration of its implications and applications can be found in 20th-century Russian-language scientific writing. Here it is frequently used...