'Paul Crutzen and Christian Schwäger (2011):
To master this huge shift, we must change the way we perceive ourselves and our role in the world. Students in school are still taught that we are living in the Holocene, an era that began roughly 12,000 years ago at the end of the last Ice Age. But teaching students that we are living in the Anthropocene, the Age of Men, could be of great help. Rather than representing yet another sign of human hubris, this name change would stress the enormity of humanity’s responsibility as stewards of the Earth. It would highlight the immense power of our intellect and our creativity, and the opportunities they offer for shaping the future. . . . The awareness of living in the Age of Men could inject some desperately needed eco-optimism into our societies. . . . With countries worldwide striving to attain the “American Way of Life,” citizens of the West should redefine it—and pioneer a modest, renewable, mindful, and less material lifestyle. . . . We also need to develop geoengineering capabilities in order to be prepared for worst-case scenarios. (emphasis added)'