Surrey, B.C. – If you think Anthropocene is the name of a new horror movie, you’d be partly correct.
It’s actually a term under discussion by scientists, about whether we have entered a new geological epoch. The argument for this new epoch is the impact of human activities. Like the horror movie, the Anthropocene story is scary.
“It is becoming increasingly clear that a new and dangerous stage in planetary evolution has begun: the Anthropocene, a time of rising temperatures, extreme weather, rising oceans, and mass species extinctions,” says Dr. Bill Burgess, a geography instructor at Kwantlen Polytechnic University (KPU). “Humanity faces not just more pollution or warmer weather, but a crisis of the earth system.”
KPU’s geography department is excited to bring Ian Angus, author of Facing the Anthropocene: Fossil Capitalism and the Crisis of the Earth System to speak about his new book at KPU Surrey on Wednesday, Sept. 14 at 4 p.m. The event is free and open to the public, and takes place in the Fir Building, Room 128.
Angus will present a unique synthesis of natural and social science that illustrates “how capitalism’s inexorable drive for growth, powered by the rapid burning of fossil fuels that took millions of years to form, has driven our world to the brink of disaster.” Survival in the Anthropocene, he will argue, requires radical social change, replacing fossil capitalism with a new, ecosocialist civilization.
Straddling earth system science and ecological Marxism, Angus will address not only the latest scientific findings about the physical causes and consequences of the Anthropocene transition, but also the social and economic trends that underlie the crisis.
Angus is a longtime activist in socialist and environmental movements in Canada and internationally. He is editor of the online journal Climate & Capitalism and co-author of the Belem Ecosocialist Declaration. His other books include Too Many People? Population, Immigration and the Environmental Crisis and The Global Fight for Climate Justice.
Photos of Ian Angus and his book cover are available for download from Flickr.
About Kwantlen Polytechnic University
Kwantlen Polytechnic University has served the Metro Vancouver region since 1981, and has opened doors to success for more than 200,000 learners. Four campuses—Richmond, Surrey, Cloverdale and Langley—offer a comprehensive range of sought-after programs in business, liberal arts, design, health, science and horticulture, trades and technology, and academic and career advancement. Over 19,000 students annually have a choice from over 120 programs, including bachelor’s degrees, associate degrees, diplomas, certificates, citations and apprenticeships. Learn more at kpu.ca.
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