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Micro-Landscapes of the Anthropocene

Week 8 Note — Erin Kasiou

I wanted to take this opportunity to reflect on one of my earlier contributions to the living book; the image of the seals on a patch of ice which is rapidly breaking apart below them. I have decided to revisit this through the lens of my e-concept, scintillessentialism, because it is greatly applicable here. At first glance, the effects of global warming on our planet may seem to be negligible. Ocean temperatures are rising 0.13°C per decade, and have been for the last one hundred years (IUCN n.d.). Yet this tiny rise in temperature is devastating the polar landscapes, causing the melting of seven hundred and fifty billion tonnes of ice each year (The World Counts n.d.). This is reducing the surface area of the polar landscapes at an alarming rate and thus putting entire ecosystems at risk. Consequently, the melted ice is contributing to sea level rise (IUCN n.d.). This not only affects the marine ecosystems, but also threatens other small islands. As such, it poses the threat of extinction towards species of the polar, marine and tropical worlds, to name a few. This phenomenon is the root of the theory of the Anthropocene, as Moore (2016, p. 60) writes: 'From the start, uses of the term Anthropocene emphasized human-induced warming and acidification of the ocean from fossil-fuel generated CO2 emissions'. Thus, ocean warming is the perfect example of the detrimental nature of capitalism to the environment. Additionally, it demonstrates scintillessentialism as such a small degree of warming is posing perhaps one of the most significant global crises of the modern age.

References

IUCN n.d., Ocean warming, accessed 26 April 2021, <https://www.iucn.org/resources/issues-briefs/ocean-warming>

Parenti, C, Crist, EC, McBrien, J, Haraway, DJ, Altvater, E, Hartley, D & Moore, JW 2016, Anthropocene or capitalocene? : nature, history, and the crisis of capitalism, PM Press, Oakland, CA.

The World Counts n.d., A whopping 750 billion tons of ice is melting every year due to global warming, accessed 26 April 2021, <https://www.theworldcounts.com/challenges/climate-change/global-warming/the-melting-ice-caps/story>

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Week 2 Research Project Writing — Erin Kasiou
This image captures the beauty of the polar landscapes; a climate of extremes, inhabitable only by the unique fauna (and, more scarcely, flora) that are specially equipped to survive its icy terrain. One may, at first glance, view this image with a sense of awe at its vibrant whites and blues, taken aback by the beauty of a totally foreign terrain that very few people will get the opportunity to see in person. These feelings change, however, when this landscape is viewed through the lens of its potential extinction. All environments have faced this threat since humans embarked on the industrialisation of our world, but the polar landscapes especially are disappearing at an alarming rate, such that we may witness the extinction of these environments within our own lifetimes. Evidence of this looming fate can be seen in this photo: the ice is broken into many smaller pieces, forcing the seals to congregate onto what is left of the glacier. As such, it is important to view our planet’s unique landscapes not only with a sense of admiration, but also one of protection, as we realise it is up to us to preserve them as they are pictured.