In the era on the Anthropocene, it seems natural to assign blame to certain countries or groups of people. It is easy to point the finger towards China, citing their 29.14 percent share of world carbon dioxide emissions in 2015, and also towards the 1 percent, presumably the people in control of the world’s largest fossil fuel companies (2). While… Read more »
In the grand scheme of everything that ever has and ever will exist, I am miniscule. For this reason, I never viewed myself as part of the greater system of humanity. It was always me, the people I am close to, and the rest of the world. However, this course has forced me to push back on that idea. If… Read more »
During my senior year of highschool, I worked in a retirement home. Despite the pleasant environment my coworkers and the residents created in the building, there was an underlying truth no one could forget: retirement homes are where people go to die. It sounds harsh, but we were reminded of it daily. There was always someone who had just died,… Read more »
Originally written Monday, 8:01am 10/23/2017 Every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday, I get up between 7-7:30 to run to Gasworks park. On days when I’m feeling down or depressed, I’ll stop at the top of the hill and sit to focus on myself and my surroundings. Today was one of those days. I took a few deep breaths and calmed my… Read more »
In recent conversation, we’ve determined some springs and coils comprising the intangible machinery programmed to yield a sustainable globe. We’ve discussed a new cultural fitness display elevating a minimalist lifestyle above that of the gilded 1%, suggested a vision of collective pleasure in rising above consumerism, and posed the concept of a non-zero-sum eco-political world. Additionally, we’ve identified that these… Read more »
In Learning to Die in the Anthropocene, Roy Scranton describes how we must accept our death as a civilization so that we can move forward and adapt to the new reality of the harsh climate conditions we are creating. His argument surprised me because the word “Anthropocene” implies that humans have been handed the controls, and it made me realize… Read more »
A majority of Americans (70%) believe global warming is happening. A majority of Americans believe that global warming will harm people I the United States (58%). A minority of Americans believe global warming will harm them personally (40%). Moreover, half of Americans believe global warming will affect them little/not at all. How do we square this circle? Is it simply… Read more »
Sacrifice stands at the center of the Anthropocene. The process of approaching this issue will require wealthy nations, such as the United States, to sacrifice various cultural norms to vastly improve sustainability. Although this act of sacrificing luxuries and excess seems reasonable, it also appears implausible. Such doubt in the nation’s ability to make such adjustments stems from the nation’s… Read more »
Most of the people in our class have watched this movie by now, so I hope that these thoughts resonate with others and not just me. The film “How to Let Go of the World & Love All the Things Climate Can’t Change” hit me like a train. Reading about climate change seems to trigger my logical mind, so I… Read more »
I am fascinated by our current preoccupation with the Self, and how that will be challenged by the Anthropocene. This conception of the Self as separate from the natural world and from other beings has been disputed on a spiritual level likely since the emergence of philosophical and religious thought. Belief systems predicated around interconnectedness, reincarnation, and unity with nature… Read more »
