Whether there is anything 'good' about the Anthropocene, now or in the future, is a difficult question. A year ago I would have argued an unequivocal no, but six months ago my wife and I had a baby nearly 3 months premature. She's thriving, but without modern medicine she likely wouldn't have made it through the night. I think that's a good thing.
Fireweed: a symbol of potential for transformation
With the launch of my new website I am also launching a new blog, entitled the Fireweed. Fireweed (Epilobium angustifolium) is a pioneer species found across North America and particularly in the boreal forest, that is among the first plants to establish in recently burned areas (hence the name). The plant is an easy symbol of release, rebirth, and potential for something innovative and new. That the herb thrives across the continent, despite the fact that its habitat requires disturbance, and particularly of entrenched, old-growth forest, makes it a particularly appropriate metaphor in my mind for the kind of sustainability transformation that the world requires.
Coming soon: the Sustainable Futures North short film series
Sustainable Futures North is one of my ongoing research projects that aims to understand the interactions among security, natural resource development, and environmental sustainability. Part of this work is ethnographic, and we have enlisted an ethnographic filmmaker named Sarah Betcher to produce a series of short films that provide an intimate look at life in the remote North, including the effects of climate change, globalization, and how local people are working hard to maintain important subsistence practices.
Here is a short trailer for the short film series, which will be released starting in January of 2015.