Humanity: Dying in the Anthropocene

This post is based off the article “Learning How to Die in the Anthropocene,” by Roy Scranton.)

Throughout his article, Scranton paints a dark picture. He puts together vivid illustrations of an apocalypse-type Earth: Food riots, wars over freshwater, coastal cities submerged, mass extinctions, droughts, increased storms, and, ultimately, the end of civilization as we know it. Scranton goes all in as he describes this future of utter disaster for humanity. It’s as if he’s trying to scare the reader. Though I think he possibly dramatizes the future, I also believe that he purposefully creates this apocalyptic image to show readers the honest desperation of the situation and how necessary it is for us to change.

As the article continues, Scranton, an Iraqi War veteran, eventually makes the point that one way he was able to overcome his fears while in Iraq was to meditate on death. To some, this may seem like an extremely obscure way of dealing with one’s fear, but it is a practice that actually has deep roots in our human history. Scranton says, regarding his meditations each day while serving in Iraq, “Instead of fearing my end, I owned it.” He then elaborated further, saying: “Then, before we rolled out through the gate, I’d tell myself that I didn’t need to worry, because I was already dead.”

Scranton then ties this concept to the Anthropocene by saying that the first and biggest step that civilization can take towards true progress is to realize that it is already dead. In his final sentence, we are left with this statement, “If we want to learn to live in the Anthropocene, we must first learn how to die.” Obviously, Scranton emphasizes death again and again in the article, and then he even mentions that if we are to live in the Anthropocene, we must first learn to die. What is he getting at with the repeated concept of death?

First, it should be made clear that Scranton is not talking about literal human death. Literal death may be involved within the death he speaks of, but that is not where he places his emphasis. The death Scranton is referring to is our death as a civilization. What he is trying to tell us is that if we are to succeed at living in the Anthropocene (hell, if we are to even simply survive in it) we must realize that there is no turning back, that the death of our way of life is eminent, and that we have no rational choice other than to accept it. It is time for us to recognize that what we are currently doing cannot go on forever, and that our behavior must change, because our (thought to be) immortal ways of life are coming to an end.

Without the acceptance of the death of our present situation, we cannot freely move towards living in the Anthropocene. Scranton preaches that the sooner we, humanity, can acknowledge that we are already dead, the sooner we will be able to go about dealing with the problems that the Anthropocene poses. When we learn that we are already dead, whether or not we are successful is of no factor. Once we realize this, we can overcome our pessimism of hopelessness at combatting the problem we face. In other words, the faster humans can learn to die in the Anthropocene, the more easily it will be for us to make the changes necessary to sustain our lives in this new and unpredictable era.

 

Greed…and the Addiction to Fossil Fuels

What happens when politics and science clash?  This is what happens…greed tries to triumph over truth.  That is what is happening all over the place…and even in Kansas.  The Koch brothers are using their billions to go after electric cars.  Why?  Because electric vehicles are receiving subsidies and tax breaks for those who choose to buy an efficient environmental friendly vehicle.  They are not new to attacking non-petroleum energy sources.  They have previously fought against solar and wind energy development.  They also are trying to attack those who are validating climate change science.

Koch brothers are in the petroleum business and that is why they are spending millions to keep the competition and green sources out of reach of the public.  This is the top 1% trying to control the free will of the bottom 99%.  They have to money to waste on fighting everything in the hopes to push their conservative agenda.

Gas prices are low right now and many think that is a good thing.  But, it is not.  It is actually bad.  With gas prices being lower than they should it will make people not want to conserve.  A lower gas price brings with it the purchase of automobiles that are not fuel efficient.  People who are looking at renewable energy sources such as solar panels will no longer see the need for them.  Oil is cheap enough.

In 1979 President Jimmy Carter (Democrat) had 32 solar panels installed on top of the White House.

Here is what Carter predicted at the dedication ceremony: “In the year 2000 this solar water heater behind me, which is being dedicated today, will still be here supplying cheap, efficient energy…. A generation from now, this solar heater can either be a curiosity, a museum piece, an example of a road not taken or it can be just a small part of one of the greatest and most exciting adventures ever undertaken by the American people.”

By 1986, the Reagan administration had gutted the research and development budgets for renewable energy at the then-fledgling U.S. Department of Energy (DoE) and eliminated tax breaks for the deployment of wind turbines and solar technologies—recommitting the nation to reliance on cheap but polluting fossil fuels, often from foreign suppliers. “The Department of Energy has a multibillion-dollar budget, in excess of $10 billion,” Reagan said during an election debate with Carter, justifying his opposition to the latter’s energy policies. “It hasn’t produced a quart of oil or a lump of coal or anything else in the line of energy.”

In 1986 President Ronald Reagan (Republican) had them quietly removed.  A few panels are scattered in museums such as the Smithsonian, Carter Library, and in the front lobby of Himin Solar Energy Group Co. in China.

Here is a President, just as Barack Obama, who understood the value and necessity to get away from fossil fuels and turn to renewable energy.  All it took was the next one with a different view to get rid of a system that was working and replace it with the same old dirty petroleum.

http://www.scientificamerican.com/article/carter-white-house-solar-panel-array/

Nice weather today…but?

How many people have heard this the last couple days?  Man…70 degrees in February…it doesn’t get better than this.  While I also like this temperature…I also know that it isn’t right for this time of the year.  The first thing that I always think of is climate change.  One part of the global warming is that the winter months are getting warmer and warmer every year and adding to the hottest year on record…that we keep on breaking every year!

Climate change is real and it is happening.  Better yet…it has already happened.  Most climate change deniers claim that it is just a theory.  Like many who are against the theory of evolution have this same claim.  But, the problem is that they do not know the difference between a Scientific Theory and a Hypothesis.  The scientific method is a way to show how science proves something as a “truth” and not as what people call a theory or an educated guess is actually a hypothesis.  Some people don’t even know the difference between climate and weather!  Climate is what you expect and weather is what you get.

There is a vast amount of evidence to show that climate change is happening.  Such as sea level rise, global temperature rise, the oceans are warming, ice sheets are shrinking, the ice over the Arctic is getting smaller and smaller every year, ocean acidification, increased CO² in the atmosphere, and decreased snow cover.

For a more detailed list and explanation I have added a link to NASA’s website on Global Climate Change if you need more information.

http://climate.nasa.gov/evidence/

2015

TIME SERIES: 1884 TO 2015

Data source: NASA/GISS
Credit: NASA Scientific Visualization Studio

To Conservatives: The Economy and Climate Change

Do not make fun of my (lack of) artistic skills.

Important: I am a conservative, and I honestly hate a lot of what Obama does, but I can’t understand why Republicans fail to recognize climate change as a pressing issue and then take the necessary measures to combat it. I just don’t get it. Like come on guys.

This cartoon illustrates the way I would respond to those people (mainly conservatives and “red” voters) that say that we have nothing to worry about with climate change, and that attempting to make any significant changes in our way of life would devastate our economy. I mean in the grand scope of things, do we really have an alternative? Either we make the necessary changes and limit the effects of climate change, which will most definitely hurt our economy to a large extent, OR we continue as we have for centuries and eventually our planet reacts and we face the consequences (food and freshwater shortages, animal extinctions, crop failures, sea level rises), in which case our economy will be forced into collapse.

So there you have it. Dark picture right? But this is the state to which we have pushed our planet. Either we make the drastic changes necessary, and live with the effects these changes will have on our economy, or we live in fear of destroying our economy and continue as normal, in which case we will continue pushing the planet farther and farther until it can no longer support us and our way of life. Neither of these paths are joyous, but we must choose the lesser of the two evils: we need to react now, before it’s too late.

The way I see it, there is only one practical choice. Maybe I just need Donald Trump to say so, then the rest of conservative America will get on board.

Is Man’s Mind Prepared?

So last week (after this Environmental Anthropology class, actually) I passed this sign on one of the professors doors as I was walking out of the building where our class convenes, and it just struck me as completely relatable to the future of humanity in the Anthropocene.

“Change favors the prepared mind.”

First of all: Woah, deep. It is deep, but it holds so much truth and meaning that I found it very worthy of mentioning in this blog.

The profoundness of the statement screamed at me: Are humans prepared to face the changes that will be involved in living in the Anthropocene? This question directly appeals to the fact that as a race, we need to mentally prepare ourselves for change; for knowing that changes must be made in the years ahead. The more prepared we are, the easier it will be to face the challenge of the Anthropocene with action through necessary cultural, societal, communal, and individual changes.

So, be prepared, because change is inevitable. Change, or a great withering of the world (not just the natural world, but all aspects of the world) as we know it–one of these two outcomes must take place.

Note: So, upon returning to take a picture of the sign, I found that it actually reads “Chance favors the prepared mind,” and that it was a quote by Louis Pasteur. I guess when I first saw the sign I was so focused on thinking about how we need to change as a society, that I totally just changed the quote in my mind. Anyways, I still think that “Change favors the prepared mind” is a very relative quote to humans as we enter the Anthropocene.

The Rape of Mother Earth

(Warning! This is the graphic reality of our situation.)

We saw her, beautiful and splendid; so innocent, so vulnerable. We saw her magnificent features; so much to use. We saw her for all she was and we saw all she could give us, and we wanted it. So, we began to plot, and we attacked, taking what we wanted.

We penetrated her beauty and brandished her wonder. We took full and unbridled advantage of all she had to offer. We left our mark on her, the wounds were deep. We left her so scarred and so broken that it will take years for her to heal, and even then she will probably never be the same. She felt everything, and we faced no repercussions–until now.

Now, we have been called to trial for what we have done. We are now going to have to face the consequences of our actions, and they will most definitely be severe. How can we make amends for our cruelty? Now it is we who are vulnerable, more than ever before.

 

What was the point of this?     This graphic metaphor highlights humans as we face climate change and the other elements of the Anthropocene. We decimated the Earth, now we are being called to face the consequences. In the future, we will try to make amends for what we have done, but just as in the metaphor, how can we do anything that can completely heal and/or justify our actions? We have wounded Mother Earth and it is an injury that will never completely heal, and each day we will be confronted with the consequences of our actions.

The current path we are ALL on.

The Anthropocene defines Earth’s most recent geologic time period as being human-influenced, or anthropogenic, based on overwhelming global evidence that atmospheric, geologic, hydrologic, biospheric and other earth system processes are now altered by humans.

The word combines the root “anthropo”, meaning “human” with the root “-cene”, the standard suffix for “epoch” in geologic time.

Source: The Encyclopedia of Earth

This blog is a project for a class called Environmental Anthropology in the Anthropocene. This blog is my way of getting ideas out in the open to get people to understand the current condition that our planet is in. And also ways that everyone can do their part to help slow down the affects of human behavior in the last few millenniums.

Probably the most recognized, and disputed, current issue with the environment is Climate Change. If your only source to this issue is listening to political debates; please stop that and read! It has been caused by increased greenhouse gases in the atmosphere. Mostly caused by burning of fossil fuels, but there are also other sources that have had its affect. Even if we halt the release of future gases the current gases will take years and years to dissipate.

It is called climate change instead of global warming because it is not just “warming” that is the issue. There will be shifts in global weather patterns that will create extreme droughts, storms, and yes there will be increased warming also. Especially at night time and warming winter temperatures. Many may think this is a good thing, but it is not. It will affect growing seasons and future food production.

Even though there is no immediate “fix” for climate change that does not mean there isn’t anything we can do about it. There are many ways to help in the reduction of fossil fuel use and consumption of earth’s finite resources. Many of those ways already exist, but we are not using them to their full potential. There are many reasons especially in the United States that we are not. The social “norms” of our society is to have more things, better things, and bigger things. Things that we really do not need, but our consumerist society drives us to want them.

There are many ideas and ways that will be continually discussed in further blogs on how we can reduce our global impact and live in a more sustainable world for generations to come. We only have one earth and the resources that are on it are not infinite. With a growing population we will need technology and ideas to come up with ways that will help and make better use of earth’s natural resources. But, in the end it will take people that are willing to change their way of life for the better.

Where are We Now?

Picture compliments of here

To me, this graph is a very good representation of how humanity deals with change.

Specifically concerning the topic of the Anthropocene, I would say that most of the world (o at least America) is in the “Denial” “Blaming” and “Bargaining” phases.

Here is how I relate the chart directly to us and how we are/should deal with the Anthropocene:

Stability and Contentment  This is the time period where we were living in the Neverland of industrialism: everything was booming and money was flowing. It was a great life.

Change  Just to be clear, this is not change as in “we need to change.” This is change as in what the hell happened. Anyways, this is when we began to notice the downside to our “progress” and the effects it was having on the world around us.

Denial  I said earlier that this is one of the areas where most humans are at currently. People are blatantly denying facts that directly show human impact on the earth systems.

Blaming  I also stated that people were in this area as well. This is easily seen. Everyday there are new studies blaming so-n-so or yada-yada for what is taking place on Earth. Governments, individuals, corporations, they all have their idea about who/what is responsible for the effects of the Anthropocene. Some of their ideas are even correct. So what?

Depression/Fatigue  You may have noticed that when I named the areas that society was currently in, I followed the track of the graph from “Denial” to “Bargaining,” but that I skipped this phase. That is because in America and other parts of the world, we HAVE skipped this phase. It is a few tree-huggers, environmentalists, students, climatologists, academics, and researchers that make up this category. People who have not only realized the negative effects the Anthropocene could bring, but dwell on it because they know enough about the dark picture to care and be deeply concerned about the future. They feel hopeless because they believe society will never heed progress even for the sake of their futures. (This is also me at the moment, just for reference.  It is quite depressing for me to think about our future on this planet.)

Bargaining   This is the third category in which I think that a lot of the world (especially America) lays. This also shows the cynical side or our human nature. Rather than directly face the issue at hand, we bargain. We find ways to cheat the system. Example: “Ok, we have a 2 degree limit on rising ocean temperatures, don’t exceed that.” We make pacts and bargains that limit our destructive behavior, but allow it to persist nonetheless. Just as the Legislature did with Americans’ national debt, we raise the ceiling. Basically, involving climate change, we “bargain” by making minimal amends (which are often no more than publicity BS) and then pat ourselves on the back because we are “trying to help.”

Acceptance   This is the point where we either change (I say change because we must change our ways if we are to successfully exist in the Anthropocene) or “opt out.” In our case, I hope we change, because if we do not, if we “opt out,” we will lose almost everything that defines humanity today. This is the crucial turning point where we need to change. I am going to explore how to push society past this point and in the right direction so that we can get on to . . .

Achieves Desired Outcomes; Creates new Stability and Standards; Moves Ahead   Wow, does this one even need an explanation? It sure paints a wonderful picture doesn’t it. But really, if we can motivate ourselves to take action and stimulate change to better live in the Anthropocene, well then we will have made it. It is then that we will have made progress, true progress (notice that it isn’t in italics here).

 

 

Time to Change

Our planet balances itself based upon our actions, but we have reached a point where our actions have pushed the planet to a particular threshold. It is now our turn to take action to balance our lives based off the planet. Otherwise, we reach a point of no return for the human race, both literally and metaphorically.

The Anthropocene is our monster. We made it. Not in a lab, but in our everyday lives. As a society, we have pushed Earth to a critical point. This monster we have brewed is looking to drown the world as we know it. The environment we find suitable to our lives is on the edge of destruction; it will flat-line if nothing is done. We need to fix the problem, not simply raise the ceiling of acceptance.

It is time to change. It is time to redefine what we define as progress and then move forward in that new direction. It is time we owned up to the mess we created and confronted it, for if we do not, it will wreck our lives just as easily as it is wrecking our planet. We need change–real change–and our deadline is just around the corner.

Why do we sit on the sidelines of the game that is the future of our lives, our planet, and our species?

What is it that can push people to take the Anthropocene as a serious threat to Earth and societies we are familiar with and take action?

How do we breach the wall of comfort we have surrounded ourselves with, and deeply convince ourselves that change is necessary enough for us to take action upon it?