The Anthropocene exit: Reconciling discursive tensions on the new geological epoch

Pasi Heikkurinen, Toni Ruuska, Kristoffer Wilén and Marko Ulvila

Ecological Economics, 2019, vol. 164, issue C, -

Abstract: This article aims to reconcile tensions around ‘the Anthropocene’ by reviewing and integrating the discourses on the new geological epoch. It is argued that the Anthropocene discourses based on natural and social sciences are complementary. The anthropogenic epoch detrimental to the Earth's biodiversity, however, does not reduce to any discourse. Instead of calling to reject discourses that do not accept this limitation of language or alternatively do not show sensitivity to contextual matters, the article demonstrates how different Anthropocene discourses can be combined. The study concludes that in order to exit the epoch, anthropocentric discourses on the Anthropocene remain ineffective unless complemented by non-anthropocentric discourses.

Keywords: Anthropocene; Anthropocentric; Anthropogenic; Discourse; Growth; Productivism (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2019
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Citations: View citations in EconPapers (6)

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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:eee:ecolec:v:164:y:2019:i:c:35

DOI: 10.1016/j.ecolecon.2019.106369

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