When “anthropogenic” was created in the late 19th century, it was used in a strictly academic sense to mean “related to the study of human development.” However, it has a more widespread usage today, and the context is chiefly related to pollution or environmental change. In that sense, “anthropogenic” refers to anything that can be attributed to human activity, not solely natural causes. For example, a city council meeting might discuss soil erosion due to regular storm cycles and anthropogenic causes. “Anthrop,” meaning “pertaining to man or human beings,” comes from the Greek “anthrōpos,” and “genic” comes from the Greek “-geneia,” meaning “born or produced.”