The Anthropocene, for one, is an EPOCH in Earth's history that began when human activities had a significant global impact on the planet's ecosystems. It is believed to have started around the mid-20th century and is marked by the widespread presence of plastics, nuclear materials, and other human-made substances in the environment. The term was coined in 2000 by ecologist Eugene F. Stoermer and has been widely accepted by the scientific community.