The geology of mankind? A critique of the Anthropocene narrative

TLDR

The Anthropocene narrative frames humanity as a dominant species, attributing fossil‑fuel combustion to evolved traits such as fire use, yet intra‑species inequalities complicate this view. The authors argue that the fossil economy is neither created nor sustained by humans, thereby challenging the species‑centric Anthropocene narrative as analytically flawed and counterproductive to action.

Abstract

The Anthropocene narrative portrays humanity as a species ascending to power over the rest of the Earth System. In the crucial field of climate change, this entails the attribution of fossil fuel combustion to properties acquired during human evolution, notably the ability to manipulate fire. But the fossil economy was not created nor is it upheld by humankind in general. This intervention questions the use of the species category in the Anthropocene narrative and argues that it is analytically flawed, as well as inimical to action. Intra-species inequalities are part and parcel of the current ecological crisis and cannot be ignored in attempts to understand it.