Praise for Facing the Anthropocene
“Facing the Anthropocene provides a clear and thorough analysis of how fossil-fuel based capitalism has enabled humans to become a force of nature and how radical political and economic change is our only hope in limiting a far more hostile future. Highly recommended for all those interested in understanding the origins and future of the age of humans.”
—CHRISTOPHER WRIGHT, Professor of Organizational Studies, University of Sydney; co-author of Climate Change, Capitalism and Corporations
“In this crucial political intervention, Ian Angus combines the work of natural scientists with socialist political economy to produce a synthesis far greater than the sum of its parts, one that can give us the weapons we need. Facing the Anthropocene makes quite clear what is to be done.”
—MICHAEL LEBOWITZ, author of The Socialist Imperative: From Gotha to Now
“With great clarity and unambiguous prose Ian Angus explains why earth has entered a new and dangerous epoch. He embeds the science within its political and economic context, identifying the operation of capitalism as the root cause of our ecological and social planetary emergency. Essential reading for all those who wish to understand the world in order to change it.”
—CHRIS WILLIAMS, author of Ecology and Socialism
“Why are the earth’s ecosystems deteriorating at an ever more rapid pace? What is capitalism’s role in creating this new geologic era so influenced by human activity that scientists are calling it the Anthropocene? And what can be done to counter the ominous environmental trends? In Facing the Anthropocene, Ian Angus answers these and other questions critical to humanity and the rest of the natural world in a thoughtful, informative, straight-forward, and accessible manner.”
—FRED MAGDOFF, co-author of What Every Environmentalist Needs to Know About Capitalism
“Using the latest scientific studies, Ian Angus demonstrates the scale of the environmental crises we face and shows how the priorities of the most powerful economies after the Second World War, caused an acceleration of environmental destruction. If we are to survive the Anthropocene, we will need a revolutionary alternative to capitalism. This is a handbook for every activist who wants to be part of that struggle.”
—MARTIN EMPSON, author of Land and Labour: Marxism, Ecology and Human History
“We face a planetary emergency of which climate warming is the foremost but far from the only manifestation. Ian Angus makes it clear that chaos will not be avoided by gently nudging the prevailing socioeconomic system, but only by a global mobilisation for a habitable planet and a new political order.”
—DAVID SPRATT, co-author of Climate Code Red: The Case for Emergency Action
“Facing the Anthropocene traces the biophysical and social roots of the environmental crisis in an attempt to help bridge the divide between the natural and social sciences. This is an important project, and there are not many better suited than Angus to propel it forward.”
—UMAIR MUHAMMAD, author of Confronting Injustice: Social Activism in the Age of Individualism
“Ian Angus combines forensic judgement with clear words and focused political commitment. He shows that we must understand both the science of climate change and the science of social change. Everyone committed to a sustainable, socially just future should study this book.”
—DEREK WALL, International Coordinator, Green Party of England and Wales; author of Economics after Capitalism: A Guide to the Ruins and a Road to the Future
“An outstanding contribution, not only for understanding the nature of the Anthropocene and its deadly consequences for human life, but also for explaining its social and economic causes. Ian Angus shows that the catastrophe is not inevitable: there is a possible alternative, based on values of human solidarity. Indispensable reading for ecologists, socialists, climate change activists and rational human beings in general!”
—MICHAEL LÖWY, emeritus research director, National Center for Scientific Research, Paris; author of Ecosocialism: A Radical Alternative to Capitalist Catastrophe
Facing the Anthropocene
Fossil Capitalism and the Crisis of the Earth System
by IAN ANGUS
MONTHLY REVIEW PRESS
New York
Copyright © 2016 by Ian Angus
All Rights Reserved
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data:
Names: Angus, Ian, 1945– author.
Title: Facing the anthropocene : fossil capitalism and the crisis of the earth system / by Ian Angus.
Description: New York : Monthly Review Press, [2016] | Includes bibliographical references and index.
Identifiers: LCCN 2016014078 | ISBN 9781583676097 (pbk.) | ISBN 9781583676103 (hardcover)
Subjects: LCSH: Nature—Effect of human beings on. | Capitalism—Environmental aspects. | Global environmental change—Economic aspects. | Global environmental change—Social aspects.
Classification: LCC GF75 .A64 2016 | DDC 304.2—dc23 LC record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2016014078
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Contents
Foreword by John Bellamy Foster
1. A Second Copernican Revolution
3. When Did the Anthropocene Begin?
4. Tipping Points, Climate Chaos, and Planetary Boundaries
6. A New (and Deadly) Climate Regime
7. Capital’s Time vs. Nature’s Time
8. The Making of Fossil Capitalism
9. War, Class Struggle, and Cheap Oil