The Anthropocene

Letter August 10, 2020
Climate change and global warming has ushered the rise of a new era that scientists are calling the Anthropocene

KARACHI:

Climate change and global warming has ushered the rise of a new era that scientists are calling the Anthropocene. The concept of the Anthropocene as a ‘state’ that is at the edge of geo-history indicates that the ‘state-of-nature’ has gone through such a drastic transformation that humans have become a geological force. This means that our excessive use of natural resources has significantly altered the way the climate functions.

There is a need for a new constitutional debate, preferably a constitution without constitutional organs, rather a structure of “Earth Citizenship” as a collective subjective. What this means is that new system of politics should be established that not only account for humans and societies but also nature and environments. Only then can we bring the relationship between humans and nature to the forefront. Furthermore, it is essential to re-examine this very relationship as the idea of the Cartesian man has now completely been shattered. The harsh reality that needs to be acknowledged, now more than ever, is that men co-exist with other species despite their narcissistic self-oriented thought of being superior.

We need to perpetuate a new form of thought that does not consider man as a part of nature but also examines the interconnectedness of the world. Only then can we pave the way for a future that is free of environmental concerns.

Published in The Express Tribune, August 10th, 2020..

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