ABSTRACT
This chapter explores the multi-scale, wide-ranging changes that human activity is causing locally and planet-wide. We begin by introducing the term ‘Anthropocene’ along with some of its critics and a selection of alternatives. We outline the emergence of this term in scientific debates on Earth system science, including climate change science. We then discuss the ways in which communities across the globe are faced with both slow- and fast-moving hazards and the assessment of multiple risks that need to be communicated and managed, as well as the many uncertainties. We emphasise the geographic diversity with regard to who is vulnerable and how and the importance of identifying which social processes are responsible for producing disaster conditions. Finally, we note that as the hazards and risks associated with an Anthropocene become the subject of inquiry across academia – and well beyond the hazard and risk subfield – the key terms are all under assessment even as we strive to articulate their importance to policy-makers, communities and other groups.
