ME 273 Study Guide - Midterm Guide: Paul J. Crutzen, Atmospheric Chemistry, Anthropocene
29 Apr 2018
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Q: Drawing from your readings for week 11, 12 and 13 from Bonneuil and Fressoz, explain why
many scientists consider that we are now in a new geological era known as the Anthropocene, and
discuss the different dimensions of the Anthropocene, accounting for key problems/issues emerging
from the Thermocene, the Thanatocene, the Agnotocene, the Capitalocene, and the Polemocene.
Scientists have now confirmed that this planet and its species are vulnerable to extinction due to
deteriorating conditions prompted by humans, after the Holocene ended 11,500 years ago.
Bonneuil and Fressoz in their book, The Shock of Anthropocene, give a scientific, political and
socioeconomic account of the emergence of this new geological epoch: the Anthropocene, which
is characterized by the human domination on planet Earth and becoming a new destructive force
and telluric power. Man acquired this designation of destructive force towards the planet’s ecology
after fifth mass extinction, for he now holds the fate of every species including his own through
industrial products and discursive methods. Although the time period of the emergence of this new
era is still being debated, it is likely to have emerged after the industrial revolution.
Paul Crutzen, an atmospheric chemist, assigned to this new epoch the term: Anthropocene – the
Age of Humans, because the impacts of human activities on this planet are unprecedented
(Bonneuil & Fressoz, 2016:12). Although these changes benefited some communities, it most
importantly contributed to the significant destruction of nature and compromised the stability of
the very planet that provides shelter, food and atmosphere to survive. Scientifically, the supporting
arguments of this new epoch are the disturbance in, and intensification of, biogeochemical cycles
by the imbalance of nitrogen, water, oxygen and carbon dioxide propositions; change in
atmospheric and climatic conditions i.e. global warming, is also traced in fossils and Antarctic ice
cores; deposition of new chemical and nucleic substances on Earth’s strata; and observable
desertification and soil erosion due to anthropized lands (2016:13, 17 – 18). Considering the
scientific data and geological changes authors called Anthropocene our own “model of
development, our own industrial modernity” that has become our model of destruction (2016:20).
This paper will, therefore, argue on the emergence of this new multifaceted geological era, the
Anthropocene, and will explore its different angles of understanding including, Thermocene,
Thanatocene, Agnotocene, Capitalocene and Polemocene.
Thermocene:
Earth is now getting warmer and so are most of the glaciated regions, causing the glaciers to melt.
Climate change though is a tangible phenomenon, that has strategically been prompted by the ever-
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increasing additions in fuel consumption producing CO2 and other greenhouse gases; however,
political and economic tensions and interests shaped the climatic discourses. This leads us to
question the history of Thermocene. Thermocene is characterized by individualism and self-
interested, profit-making political discourse that has drastically impacted our climate. Global
warming and energy crises emerge as most important of its implications. In this disoriented history,
energy crises are portrayed and popularized as energy transitions by powerful political institutions;
and depiction of the addition of new fuels and energy sources, as the alternative fuels. As in the
section Thermocene, authors posit:
“[T]here never has been an energy transition. There was not a movement from wood to coal, then
from coal to oil, then from oil to nuclear [after all, coal was most burnt and consumed in 2014].
The history of energy is . . . rather of successive additions of new sources of primary energy.”
(2016:69)
In addition to the aforementioned discourse, traditional agriculture transitioned to mechanized
farming through Green Revolution, which was supported by wealthy organizations. This transition
disregarded many peasants and predominantly supported the petroleum industry. The
mechanization of farming led, in many circumstances, towards the fall in energy yield. A
prominent example is of North Korea that encountered a famine and energy crises based on
chemical and mechanized agriculture between 1992 and 1998; however, North Korea prioritized
fuel supply to military (2016:70). Similarly, in Cuba new chemical ways were invented for better
and mass production during energy crises. This history of Thermocene is very problematic, and is
constructed by political, military and ideological choices and interests (2016:72). It accounts for
quantitative and theoretical data of the amount of energy produced through a fuel source, whereas,
actual energy yield was disastrously low. “[These] decisions [about politically prioritizing energy
sources while adding new sources] produced our almost exclusive dependence on fossil fuels
dispels the illusion of an optimal and efficient contemporary technological world.” (2016:74-75)
A profoundly discernable example of such political decisions in technological choices is the
suburbanization and motorization of Western societies, which is correlated to 1926’s
legitimization of “the practice of zoning, separating residential spaces from both industrial activity
and ethnic minorities.”(2016:75) This promoted the use of private transport over public, thus
contributing more to global warming.
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The chapter of Thermocene closes with another historically and politically tensed debate over oil
and coal, where capital-intensive and profit making fuel source i.e. oil, was preferred. It, by no
means, reduced the consumption of coal but added another polluting-energy-source, oil.
Thanatocene:
Man’s ingenuity and technological advancement may help him adapt to a better life but its
(technological progress) planetary and ecological effects are often destructive. Thus emerged
another dimension: Thanatocene, which is characterized by death and destruction of humans and
other species, environment and ecosystem with the means of destruction: war weaponry, its
normalization. War in twentieth century became more prevalent and destructive than ever.
“Second world war alone made up half the number of dead in the past 2,000 years of warfare.”
(2016:82) Most of the European states began to collect revenue, and also invested rigorously in
war industry, making war affordable and deadlier. Therefore, war is inextricably connected to
industrial mobilization for it renders highly efficient technology that eventually damages and
deteriorates ecological conditions.
“Japan lost 15 per cent of its forests” in the consequences of Second World War (2016:84).
Vietnam War is one of the most prominent and well-documented examples of power, and also of
deliberately destructing the environment i.e. ecocide, crumbling down the enemy. Since
Vietnamese ability of using forests as sheltering and protecting zone made US army incompetent.
It is, therefore, why US army targeted this region by “incendiary bombs and napalm… [however,
due to their inability to destroying forests], the US army finally sprayed defoliants developed from
agricultural herbicides (Monsanto’s Agent ‘Orange’)” through planes causing ‘artificial rain.’
(2016: 84) As a consequent to that, whole of the forests were literally wiped out leaving behind
mutagenic imprints in human population for over half a century. Unfortunately, the same defoliants
and herbicides are now commonly used in agricultural sector. Thus, this commercialization of war
technology has normalized the means of destruction as eminent means of production.
While war weaponry emerged as profitable industry, artificial ways of producing fuel sources also
emerged as, what authors called, “autarchic productive systems that are particularly polluting and
devouring of energy.” (2016:88) The Leblanc process, for instance, to synthesize artificial soda
was discovered during Napoleon Wars due to the deprivation of natural soda, and proved to be
most polluting industry of that time. Although it sufficed soda necessities, it terribly destroyed the
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Document Summary
Scientists have now confirmed that this planet and its species are vulnerable to extinction due to deteriorating conditions prompted by humans, after the holocene ended 11,500 years ago. Man acquired this designation of destructive force towards the planet"s ecology after fifth mass extinction, for he now holds the fate of every species including his own through industrial products and discursive methods. Although the time period of the emergence of this new era is still being debated, it is likely to have emerged after the industrial revolution. Paul crutzen, an atmospheric chemist, assigned to this new epoch the term: anthropocene the. Age of humans, because the impacts of human activities on this planet are unprecedented (bonneuil & fressoz, 2016:12). Although these changes benefited some communities, it most importantly contributed to the significant destruction of nature and compromised the stability of the very planet that provides shelter, food and atmosphere to survive.
