Something to Build on.

The following text outlines the contents of several books and articles that have significantly influenced me for the topics I intend to explore. I hope that this summary will act as a foundation for future essays to build upon.

The Capitalocene.

The current consensus in the field of Earth System Science is that the human species has significantly altered the cycles of elements and compounds that have kept the world in a state that resembles equilibrium for the past 11,500 years. This period of relative stability is known as the Holocene. Many argue that it is a geological period that ended roughly at the beginning of the industrial revolution, when Western Europeans began to release large quantities of carbon dioxide through the increased burning of fossil fuels. Since the ‘Green Revolution’ of the 50’s huge quantities of Nitrogen, Phosphorus and Potassium, mainly from fertilisers, have also destabilised their respective cycles. A multitude of harmful pollutants from industrial processes, mass-destruction of ecosystems and species, and radiation from the use of nuclear weapons further muddy the picture. It is highly unlikely that the Earth will ever return to anything resembling a pre-industrial state.

This dramatic shift from a recognisable Earth to one that is completely unknown has led many social and natural scientists to declare the start for a new geological epoch – the Anthropocene (although, for reasons I will go into elsewhere, I prefer the name Capitalocene). Whether or not this claim is valid is a subject for debate. However, there is little doubt that the Earth is warming rapidly, and ecosystems worldwide are collapsing.
Some of the more pessimistic models of future global warming allow for no hope of survival for almost all remaining forms of life on Earth. An example being a replication of the Paleocene-Eocene Thermal Maximum, which was possibly caused by a feedback-loop after passing carbon dioxide concentrations of around 1200ppm – it is theorised that clouds are no longer able to form properly after 4 degrees of warming which triggers a further warming of 8 degrees. Constant solar radiation turns the equator into a scorched dead-zone with a bubbling oxygen-starved ocean, and crocodiles swim in the Arctic.
The more optimistic estimates, of around 2 degrees warming, would still lead to increased frequency and strength of extreme weather events. These events will not only be devastating for their immediate impacts. The loss of harvests and the mass migration that follows, as areas (mostly in the global South) are destroyed or become permanently uninhabitable, could very easily bring civilisations to their knees. In an open-door migration scenario, it is likely tensions will escalate quickly as space and resources become limited. When considering the last decade’s rise in xenophobia and authoritarianism it leaves little room for optimism. In a less welcoming scenario -water wars, the collapse of human rights, and genocide.

Doing Something.

This information is fairly common knowledge, however often wilfully repressed. It is paralysing to consider and simply blocking it from your mind is a reasonable reaction. How can you respond to this knowledge? It requires a reassessment of all aspects of human existence; everything is ecological now (and always has been). This is a daunting task, but one I would like to have a stab at in my own small way, if only to help myself better understand the world.
The collection of small thoughts, memes and essays on this website will delve into topics from the philosophy of technology and production, to agricultural ethics and beyond. Hopefully this will shed light on better ways to live, for me and anyone else who cares to explore this maze - but it is not about fixing the Earth and returning to the good old days.