Anthropocene (controversies)
Contents
Anthropocene controversies
Geological Debate
As of 2020, there is still ongoing debate about when to date the Anthropocene. Following guidance form the Subcommission on Quaternary Stratigraphy and the International Commission on Stratigraphy, the Anthropocene Working Group has been tasked with the job of determining a start date for the Anthropocene.
There are two suggestions for what should be done about the Holocene. Some say that the Holocene should be removed from the Geological Time Scale
Fire
Farming
The Columbian Exchange
Industrial Revolution
Great Acceleration
In Humanities and Social Sciences
Philosophy
Postcolonial studies
Race and ethnicity studies
The concept of the Anthropocene has been approached by race and ethnicity studies. In the scholarly world, it has been the subject of increasing attention through special journal issues[1][2], and books[3]. The Anthropocene prompts questions about racial and ethnic exclusion in dialogues concerning the concept.
Some race and ethnicity scholars suggest that imperialism and capitalism have already led to the extinction of masses populations during the Anthropocene and these populations have not been taken into account by geologists debating the dating[3]. Examples are the Colombian Exchange, the trans-Atlantic slave trade and colonization. Axelle Karera states how the Anthropocene does not account for these past and current imperial injustices[1]. To this end, they argue how the Anthropocene is configured in a future tense rather than in recognition of the extinction already undergone by black and indigenous peoples[3].
Scholars argue suggest this is problematic because the Anthropocene then omits non-white narratives and blames the entire human race for a crisis caused by imperialist powers (scientific America[4]. A contemporary example given includes the last survivor of an uncontacted hunter-gatherer tribe in the Brazilian Amazon compared to Rex Tillerson, who was CEO of ExxonMobil[4]. In 2017, Rex Tillerson’s company is the fifth-largest carbon emitter in the world[5] while the last tribe member’s carbon emission is essentially zero.
Proposed solutions are centered on including non-white narratives of origin stories[3] and when discussing the Anthropocene to “systematically grapple with the problem of black suffering”[1]. Nancy Tuana says that racism needs to be removed from various institutions and social practices that are relevant to the current climate regime[2].
Gender studies
Literature
Politics/non-human agency
Popular culture
Alternative framings
Capitalocene
Plantationocene
Chthulucene
Consult the User's Guide for information on using the wiki software.
Getting started
- Configuration settings list
- MediaWiki FAQ
- MediaWiki release mailing list
- Localise MediaWiki for your language
- Learn how to combat spam on your wiki