The Emergent Anthropocene

By framing the Anthropocene as emergent, this paper attempts to move beyond the entrenched opposition of “epoch” versus “event”. It briefly reviews the development of that dispute, then explores how a focus on emergence might help to overcome it. Emergence is a theme which has been implicit in the Anthropocene debate from the outset. It runs as threads through the work of epoch and event proponents alike, albeit with each camp emphasizing different aspects. Explicating these strands and bringing them together can support a more holistic and unified approach to the currently divided field of Anthropocene research. Examples of emergent phenomena of both natural and anthropogenic origin are explored, and insights from these are used to shed light on the emergent character of the transforming human–Earth system as a whole.