Fire Weather: On the Front Lines of a Burning World

by John Vaillant

That we have entered the Anthropocene Epoch (the geologic era of humankind’s global influence on weather and ecosystems) is now generally accepted among scientists. Precisely when this period began is a matter of debate. Was it 50,000 years ago, with the first evidence of our ability to extirpate populations of Pleistocene megafauna? Was it 12,000 years ago, with the onset of the Holocene Epoch, generally considered to be the age of modern humans? Was it 10,000 years ago, with the appearance of agriculture and city-states? Was it 2,000 years ago, with the accumulation of global pollution residue from Roman smelting operations? Was it 160 years ago, with the introduction of the internal combustion engine? Was it 75 years ago, with the introduction of the atom bomb? Or was it a million years ago, with the first evidence for the controlled use of fire?