Human impact on the Earth system seen as a planetary phenomenon
![Classes of planets (from Frank et al., 2017)](/5446394/original-1665062410.jpg?t=eyJ3aWR0aCI6MjQ2LCJvYmpfaWQiOjU0NDYzOTR9--f6018a8efa9bcd4a62d7a951581f3e07d086a4ac)
Classes of planets (from Frank et al., 2017)
Their paper, “Earth as a Hybrid Planet: The Anthropocene in an Evolutionary Astrobiological Context,” was published Sept. 6 in the journal Anthropocene. The new classification system is a way of thinking about sustainability on a planetary scale in what is being recognized as the Anthropocene epoch — the geological period of humanity’s significant impact on Earth and its ecosystems. The authors say that humans and the urban areas we create are having a strong, planetwide effect on evolution.