Facing the Anthropocene: Fossil Capitalism and the Crisis of the Earth System

The science is clear: we have entered the Anthropocene, a dangerous new phase of planetary evolution in which human action has become the dominant geological force, characterized by widespread pollution, rising global temperatures, more extreme weather events, rising oceans, and mass extinctions. Humanity is literally facing an Earth system crisis in this unprecedented geological epoch. In this compelling and well-researched book, Ian Angus bridges the gap between Earth system science and ecological Marxism. He examines not only the latest scientific findings on the causes and consequences of a transition to the Anthropocene, but also the socioeconomic trends underlying the crisis. If business as usual continues, this century will be marked by a rapid deterioration of our physical, social, and economic environment: large parts of the globe risk becoming uninhabitable, even threatening civilization itself. The author, however, forcefully reminds us that responsibility is unequally shared in light of the evolution of the system: far from being the consequence of a supposed human nature shamelessly exploiting the resources of the biosphere, the current crisis is rather the fruit of the dynamics of a particular system in historical terms: capitalism. Describing the planetary emergency in all its facets, Facing the Anthropocene offers a unique synthesis of natural and social science. It illustrates how capitalism's inexorable drive for growth, fueled by the rapid consumption of fossil fuels that took millions of years to form, has brought our world to the brink of catastrophe. Another Anthropocene is possible, if the majority of humans mobilize. What should their objectives be? What type of movement could make them a reality? For the author, surviving the Anthropocene epoch requires radical social change, in order to slow down capitalism's ecocidal race as much as possible. And we will have to replace this fossil capitalism with a new civilization based on ecosocialist foundations,