Anthropogenic Definition

by Laurent Cousineau
(Montreal)

Anthropogenic refers to what is caused or influenced by humans. When discussing climate change, it is often used to refer to emissions produced as a result of human activities.

Hence, you may come across the acronym AGW which stands for "Anthropogenic Global Warming." This simply means human-caused global warming.

The reason why people use the term AGW is to highlight the fact that the global warming (and climate change) we have encountered since the dawn of the industrial revolution is not cyclical by any means.

Etymology

Anthropo originates from the Greek word ánthrōpos which means human being or man.

For instance, anthropometry (developed by Alphonse Bertillon) means "measurement of man."

Genic means "cause" and also comes from Greek.

For instance, allergenic refers to a substance that can cause an allergy.