The Anthropocene: Earth's Flop Era
There are so many menial things that we humans have the time to disagree about. Is Taylor Swift overhyped? Does Ana de Armas deserve to be nominated in the Best Actress category at The Academy Awards for her (poor) portrayal of Marilyn Monroe in Blonde? Should a 14-year-old on TikTok be cancelled? Some spend their time and energy debating whether the world is flat or round, or even whether it’s burning to the ground right in front of our eyes. We have a wealth of historical evidence which demonstrates how humans ventured away from nature-worship in prehistoric times and now we see that Karma really is a… witch. No matter what evidence is presented for or against the prevalence of the presiding climate crisis, there is one fact that remains: The earth is on fire - and we cannot pretend like it isn’t anymore.
Green Theory and Global Justice
The Earth's climate crisis is a highly polarizing political issue today (as most of us are aware of), but the socio-political issues surrounding it run much deeper than many may realize. In the 70s, a green perspective emerged within the field of International Relations, Green theory, which challenged mainstream theories like neoliberalism and neorealism and how these theories fall short of grasping the urgency of environmental problems. Green theory examines humans' relationship to the Earth and other animals and criticizes the (primarily Western) neoliberal relationship to resources and consumption as well as its effects on the climate.
There are many interesting ideas to be found within Green theory, one of which claims that the oppression of women and the destruction of the climate go hand-in-hand. Ecofeminists are a group of people who believe that the rise of the patriarchy worldwide marks the starting point of the climate crisis we now face. If we look to history and the clues we possess regarding prehistoric societies, sources suggest that humans once lived in matriarchal societies and worshipped female goddesses in place of gods. Many such communities viewed the earth as a goddess and mother, and praised nature as such - where women were healers, leaders, and valuable members of their communities. The Dark Ages and the expansion of organized religion such as Christianity, however, established firm gender roles, and the systematic erasure of the goddess went hand in hand with the rise of the Western patriarchy. As the male-dominated Western society grew over the ages, so did technology and methods of warfare and industry, leaving scorched earth in its wake which set the stage for the consequences we face today - the destruction of our planet. The goddesses of the old world and the history that inspired them were forgotten, while the space they left behind was assumed by the succeeding male gods. Women who had knowledge of the healing properties of nature for the human body were subsequently branded as witches.
When did we stop worshipping our goddess and mother earth?
Ecofeminism highlights how gender inequality intersects with the environmental crisis.
Another political ideology related to ecofeminism focuses on environmental racism, which is a term used to describe how in the United States, industry and waste management centers are frequently built in low-income neighborhoods with a majority black population. This echoes the days of segregation in the country, when black Americans were only allowed to buy houses in certain areas, thus making it easy for racist corporate CEOs to decide which group of the overall population mattered little enough to forsake health concerns.
These theories describe the positions we as humans have put ourselves in. However, wildlife has been dramatically affected by humans’ careless actions as well. Today, the Earth suffers five times as many natural disasters as in the previous 50 years due to the rapidly changing climate, causing irrevocable damage. According to the International Fund for Animal Welfare, increasing temperatures have led to water sources and vegetation drying up, which means that wild animals are forced to continually search for sufficient habitats - but sadly, many animals also die due to this change in conditions.
Now, to many of us, these pieces of evidence regarding the presence of climate change are yet another indication of what we already know: Mankind has caused massive damage to the Earth's climate and will continue to do so if we choose to stay ignorant.
The Urgency of Respecting our Earth
Green politics is a political ideology which aims to build a more sustainable and eco-friendly society. In order to succeed, governments all over the globe will need to instill a code of climate ethics which encompass the values of Green theory and have the capacity to facilitate actual change to ensure the very survival of the whole natural ecosystem of the planet. Now that more women and other marginalized groups are in positions of power in many countries, we are already seeing more compassion for social issues - and as I’ve stated above, discussions on climate change are inescapable in this day and age. Every year, we read about Earth Overshoot Day, the date when humanity has used up all the biological resources that Earth regenerates during the entire year, watching with increasing dismay as it falls earlier and earlier each year. The public is told to recycle its plastic waste, use crappy paper straws and drive expensive cars which run on electricity because the climate is allegedly “in our hands”. Yet, the actual mass polluters, such as mega-corporations, barely catch any heat for their part. How far can humans push the Earth until it reaches its limit?
A solution to the discourse we so often see online is to encourage others to rediscover the respect for the Earth which was once at the forefront of our beliefs. We should ask ourselves: “Am I ready to accept responsibility for my actions?” before we branch our corporations out to other countries, for instance. We should take some time to think about the changes which started happening to the environment right after most countries shut down in early 2020. We should consider people's health before building silicone factories next to small fishing towns and put our racist and misogynist biases aside when making those sorts of decisions. And, even though these are very, very small feats, we should recycle our plastic and use crappy paper straws - or at least recycle our plastic ones. Because what the hell are we gonna do when it’s too late?
Sources:
1. Eckersley, Robyn. (2007). Green Theory. Í Dunne, Tim; Kurki, Milja; Smith, Steve (ritstj.), International Relations Theory (bls. 247–265). Oxford.
2. Kennett DJ, Plog S, George RJ, Culleton BJ, Watson AS, Skoglund P, Rohland N, Mallick S, Stewardson K, Kistler L, LeBlanc SA, Whiteley PM, Reich D, Perry GH. (2017). Archaeogenomic Evidence Reveals Prehistoric Matrilineal Dynasty.
3. Jeanne de Montbaston. (2017). Pillars of Salt: Divorce and the Systematic Erasure of Women’s Voices.
4. Daniel Pavlinovic. (2021, 1. september). Climate and weather related disasters surge five-fold over 50 years. UN News.
5. International Fund for Animal Welfare. (2022, 28. febrúar). The Impact of Climate Change on Our Planet’s Animals.