Anthro 448-483, Part 4

Can Earth Sustain the Current Global Economy?

  • Climate Change Awareness:

    • Demonstrators participated in the 2019 Extinction Rebellion in London to highlight climate change risks.

    • Students protested in Washington, D.C., during the International Youth Climate Strike, demanding urgent action.

  • Urban Planning and Sustainability:

    • Checker’s book examines urban planning's role in the development of industrial sites in Staten Island and Harlem vs. upscale developments.

    • Gentrification has displaced low-income residents of color, as sustainability positions itself favorably for upper classes.

    • Industrial pollution is pushed away from upscale neighborhoods, resulting in environmental injustices for working-class communities.

  • Environmental Research Roots:

    • Checker’s previous work includes Polluted Promises, documenting community struggles with pollution in Augusta, Georgia.

    • This work illustrates the systemic racial discrimination that affects health and economic conditions in marginalized communities.

    • The idea of sustainable growth often masks the exploitation of these communities, placing environmental burdens on them.

  • Urgency of Climate Actions:

    • Current economic practices risk an ecological breakdown, but we have not yet crossed the critical threshold.

    • Essential actions include:

      • Slowing population growth

      • Halting fossil fuel use

      • Rapid transition to renewable energy (wind and solar)

      • Rethinking consumption culture focused on material acquisition.

  • Individual and Institutional Engagement:

    • Individual actions:

      • Conserve natural resources (water, energy).

      • Use public transport or biking instead of cars.

      • Reduce consumption and understand hidden costs of products.

    • Institutional actions:

      • Encourage sustainability initiatives at educational institutions.

      • Promote investments in renewable energy.

      • Advocate for sustainability-oriented courses and policies.

      • Support leadership committed to sustainability.

  • Challenges of Change:

    • Emphasized that change, personal or institutional, is complicated but essential to prevent further environmental degradation.

Thinking Like an Anthropologist: Making a Difference in Earth's Future

  • Awareness of Environmental Issues:

    • Knowledge exists about climate change, including its causes and effects, acknowledged by fossil fuel industries since the 1970s.

    • The U.N. Climate Change Panel recommends drastic emissions reductions by 2030 and zero emissions by 2050.

  • Slow Violence of Climate Change:

    • The gradual impacts of climate change (thawing glaciers, rising temperatures) remain largely unnoticed till extreme weather events occur (hurricanes, wildfires).

    • Amitav Ghosh describes this as the "great derangement"—our expectations don’t align with new environmental realities.

  • Anthropology's Role:

    • Anthropology allows a deeper understanding of local responses to climate change through long-term community engagement.

    • Recognizes that not all people contribute equally to climate change; often, marginalized communities bear the greatest impacts and present valuable solutions.

    • Highlighted the need for combined conservation efforts and technological innovations to address environmental damage.

    • Each profession has a potential role in contributing to climate solutions.

Key Terms

  • Environmental Anthropology: Study of the relationship between humans and their environment.

  • Anthropocene: The current geological era where human actions significantly alter the planet.

  • Multispecies Ethnography: Research considering all species interactions for a broader perspective on environmental issues.

  • Gentrification: Urban renewal processes that replace low-income residents with wealthier demographics, often displacing marginalized communities.

  • Built Environments: Features of human settlement designed by humans, covering buildings and public infrastructure.

  • Ecotourism: Tourism aimed at supporting local communities and conservation efforts.

  • Settler Colonialism: The process of displacing Indigenous people and taking over their lands and resources.

Glossary

  • Environmental Anthropology: Focus on human-environment interactions.

  • Anthropocene: Era defined by significant human impact on Earth’s geology and ecosystems.

  • Multispecies Ethnography: Studies that integrate the roles of all species in environmental contexts.

  • Gentrification: Urban renewal that results in the displacement of original, often low-income, residents for more affluent newcomers.

  • Built Environment: Designed human habitats, encompassing all man-made structures and infrastructures.

  • Ecotourism: Responsible travel to natural areas that conserves the environment and improves the well-being of local people.

  • Settler Colonialism: Involves taking land from Indigenous people through displacement and control.