As a chronicler of history, how do you see these efforts by scholars to define the geological epoch currently we are in after humans?
I have very complicated feelings about it. I understand in a sense why the Anthropocene Working Group (AWG) wanted to narrow the date down to one particular geological layer, to a certain stratum and in a particular place [Crawford Lake in Canada, which has accurately datable sediments showing plutonium's presence]. It's because they just wanted to make it as narrow as possible. Part of the reason people support this approach is because there is a sense that it might lead to greater political action or awareness of the problem. But I do feel that it is important to note that there have been several resignations from AWG over the narrowness of this definition because effectively, it ignores the prehistory of this problem which goes back three or four centuries to the invention of an extractivist economy, which is what my book The Nutmeg's Curse is about.
هذه القصة مأخوذة من طبعة August 01, 2023 من Down To Earth.
ابدأ النسخة التجريبية المجانية من Magzter GOLD لمدة 7 أيام للوصول إلى آلاف القصص المتميزة المنسقة وأكثر من 8500 مجلة وصحيفة.
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هذه القصة مأخوذة من طبعة August 01, 2023 من Down To Earth.
ابدأ النسخة التجريبية المجانية من Magzter GOLD لمدة 7 أيام للوصول إلى آلاف القصص المتميزة المنسقة وأكثر من 8500 مجلة وصحيفة.
بالفعل مشترك? تسجيل الدخول
FIX OUR FOOD
Chemical-dependent farming, lax labelling laws, rising anti-microbial resistance must top the agenda
BATTLE THE CAR BULGE
Clean, affordable, integrated and accessible public transport the only solution
CONSERVE NOW
Disregard for biodiversity conservation over the past two decades needs immediate redressal
SCRAP THE DUMP
Disincentivise garbage dumping, invest in behavioural change
PLAN THEM COOL
As urban India turns into a heat trap, the government must focus on improving cities' liveability
THINK LONG-TERM
India needs continued emphasis on flagship programmes, aligned to long-term planning that focusses on water security and circular economy in a climate-risked era
OVERHAUL OVERDUE
Hold polluting industries accountable for public health risks, environmental hazards, climate change; provide them support for green transition
LOOK BEYOND DUST
Reinvent National Clean Air Programme to focus on fine particulate matter and trans-boundary pollution
IT'S NOW OR NEVER
Clean energy sectors need demand-driven markets and domestic industries that can cater to the entire value chain
VISION 2030
Economic growth must take into account needs of energy transition, climate mitigation, with action aligned as per India's 2030 climate goals