Facing the anthropocene : fossil capitalism and the crisis of the earth system / by Ian Angus.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Angus, Ian, 1945- author.

Contributor:

Bruce Alan Miller Book Fund.

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Nature--Effect of human beings on.

Capitalism--Environmental aspects.

Global environmental change--Economic aspectst.

Global environmental change--Social aspects.

Global environmental change.

Capitalism.

Physical Description:

277 pages ; 21 cm

Place of Publication:

New York : Monthly Review Press, [2016]

Summary:

"Science tells us that a new and dangerous stage in planetary evolution has begun--the Anthropocene, a time of rising temperatures, extreme weather, rising oceans, and mass species extinctions. Humanity faces not just more pollution or warmer weather, but a crisis of the Earth System. If business as usual continues, this century will be marked by rapid deterioration of our physical, social, and economic environment. Large parts of Earth will become uninhabitable, and civilization itself will be threatened. Facing the Anthropocene shows what has caused this planetary emergency, and what we must do to meet the challenge. Bridging the gap between Earth System science and ecological Marxism, Ian Angus examines not only the latest scientific findings about the physical causes and consequences of the Anthropocene transition, but also the social and economic trends that underlie the crisis. Cogent and compellingly written, Facing the Anthropocene offers a unique synthesis of natural and social science that illustrates how capitalism's inexorable drive for growth, powered by the rapid burning of fossil fuels that took millions of years to form, has driven our world to the brink of disaster. Survival in the Anthropocene, Angus argues, requires radical social change, replacing fossil capitalism with a new, ecosocialist civilization."--Amazon.com.

Contents:

Part one: a no-analog state. A second Copernican revolution ; The great acceleration ; When did the anthropocene begin? ; Tipping points, climate chaos, and planetary boundaries ; The first near-catastrophe ; A new (and deadly) climate regime

Part two: fossil capitalism. Capital's time vs. nature's time ; The making of fossil capitalism ; War, class struggle, and cheap oil ; Accelerating into the anthropocene ; We are not all in this together

Part three: the alternative. Ecosocialism and human solidarity ; The movement we need.

Notes:

Includes bibliographical references and index.

Local Notes:

Acquired for the Penn Libraries with assistance from the Bruce Alan Miller Book Fund.

ISBN:

9781583676097

1583676090

9781583676103

1583676104

OCLC:

951465283

Publisher Number:

40026279189