Living Together in the Anthropocene Epoch

by Eugene Mangia

Pontifical Catholic University of Ecuador

 

The premise for these designs takes as its point of departure that Global Climate Crisis is here to stay and that we as a species must confront that reality. The concept of architecture as a technological toolkit which can provide a diverse set of solutions for multifarious problems is hard-pressed to respond effectively.

As a species, our impact on the planet is beyond race, class, or ideology, humankind has become, as Silvestrin writes, “A force potent enough to define a new geological epoch: the Anthropocene, a term coined by atmospheric chemist and Nobel Laureate Paul Crutzen in 2002 (2016, p.25).”  Our legacy for the future will inevitably be as follows: “The Anthropocene can be distinguished as a geological epoch because the biological and chemical remains left by humans in the surface sediment on which we live will leave a signal traceable in future fossil records for many thousands of years from now (Ibid, p. 25).” Another signal resulting from this process is also expanding desertification of all major deserts on the planet.

How is freedom understood in a nation like the U.S.A.? That the population has the freedom to have such an ostentatious lifestyle that, if all nations adopted such a style, it would take more than one planet-earth to maintain it. Society is slipping into lethargy in the face of one of the most important crises in its history as a species. Humanity today confronts the greatest threat to its survival as a civilization and for this challenge to be met drastic measures must be taken quickly.

As designers, we are extremely aware of the consequences of what inaction can result in.  Therefore, the following propositions in a conceptual light are put forward so as to visualize what possibilities may be pursued to mitigate this extreme problematic.

 

Silvestrin, D. (2016). “The Thrill of Riding the Wave” in Ecologies of Transmission. Berlin: LIMEN 17.