Anthropocene, oder…?

[‘Welsh Dragon takes on digger, End Coal Now!, Ffos-y-Fran, Wales, UK, 3 May 2016.’ Photo: Amy Scaife / Reclaim the Power] The Anthropocene is the proposed name for the current geological period in which human activities have significantly altered the functioning of planetary systems. It is a period in which human cultures no longer labour… Continue reading Anthropocene, oder…?

A future much worse than the present

[‘Klaus Emmerich in Brown Coal Blues’ (2016) Photo: Vice] Brown Coal Blues (2016) is a documentary produced by VICE INTL that concerns mining in the Rhineland region, in which reporter Filipa Von Stackelberg interviews employees of energy corporation RWE who operate the Garzweiler lignite mine, alongside locals and mining opponents. Early in the program Von… Continue reading A future much worse than the present

The Shadow of the Future

The crisis of anthropogenic global warming presents an urgent problem requiring a rapid response and a re-prioritising of values. Planetary climate change is often discussed, notably by Naomi Klein, as an irreconcilable conflict between ‘extractivist’ capitalism and Earth systems that support life. Klein and a range of climate justice social movements are advocating that communities… Continue reading The Shadow of the Future