Just as we have discussed in class, it is impossible to separate nature and society at this point and there is an undeniable connection throughout history of both nature manipulating man and man manipulating nature. However, as Steffen points out in his article, the current state of the geological and environmental world/climate are fully inseparable and controlled by humans, as never before seen through history (p. 619). Even though the last epoch pays homage to the effects of humans and industrialization on the planet, it does not include the effects we are seeing now and therefore we certainly should legitimize the Anthropocene Epoch as we are currently witnessing the changing of climate and the environment in the matters of human lifetimes, something that typically takes tens if not hundreds of thousands of years (Kolbert p. 2). If anything, calling out the human nature assumed by Malm, whether or not it is true or not, may benefit the population by facilitating the realization of our entering/being a part of this new and seemingly detrimental epoch (Malm, p. 2).
Although there is undoubtedly a desire for and effect of confirmation bias that seems inherent in human though processes, I feel that Kahan over simplifies and villainizes the reality and beauty that all aspects of life and science are intricately inter-connected. While discourse may slow down the process of determining a solution, taking time to truly discuss climate change and other issues outside of mere science as Dr. Whitlock did is what contributes to creating true solutions that benefit all niches of society rather than technological band-aids that are so favored by scientists with only one train of thought. The only effective way to address, stop and remediate climate change is to consider the perspectives of all formal disciplines as well as the daily life of people outside of scholarly discourse, as they are the majority of the population that are both contributing and being effected by climate change.
Hi, I really liked how you brought up our class point of society’s undeniable tie to nature and vise versa. And that you linked this to the text where Steffen describes humans and how they are the controlling factor of the environment. Once this happened some would argue that the Anthropocene started at this turning point. I agree with your reinforcing of Dr. Whitlock’s take is that we must discuss and educate people on the matter in order to see any sort of change. The only way we can solve this problem is to educate people get and everyone on the same page in order to collectively solve this global problem. However, this is much, much more difficult than it sounds.