Centre article on Great Acceleration listed as highly influential

A landmark article co-authored by researchers at the Centre has secured third place among Sage’s ten most impactful research articles published during 2014–2015.

Published in 2015, The trajectory of the Anthropocene: The Great Acceleration helped shape scientific understanding of how human activity has transformed the Earth system. More than a decade later, the paper remains one of the most influential contributions to Anthropocene and sustainability research.

"The Great Acceleration paper helped make the Anthropocene visible. The graphs illustrated the influence of human activities on the planet as well as our planet’s responses to those activities, and they continue to inform discussions about sustainability around the world,” says Magnus Nyström, science director at the Centre.

The study updated a series of influential graphs showing the dramatic rise in human activity and environmental change since the mid-twentieth century. Together, these trends became known as the Great Acceleration, illustrating how population growth, economic development, resource use and Earth system changes accelerated rapidly after 1950.

Lasting influence

Lisa Deutsch, Centre researcher and co-author of the original article, says: "We knew the graphs were powerful, but few of us anticipated how widely they would be used across science, policy and education."

The visualisations clearly show that humanity has become the dominant force shaping the planet.

The paper’s selection by Sage as one of the ten most impactful articles published during 2014–2015 reflects the study's enduring influence on research, policy discussions and public understanding of the Anthropocene.

The paper was authored by Will Steffen, Wendy Broadgate, Lisa Deutsch, Owen Gaffney and Cornelia Ludwig and published in The Anthropocene Review in 2015.