Sustainocene

Sustainocene is the name given to a public policy concept involving planning for a future epoch where humanity becomes the environmental steward when transitioning from the current Anthropocene to the Sustainocene. A consistent focus on both environmental and developmental sustainability is the key social virtue of this epoch.
Definition
The name Sustainocene was coined by Bryan Furnass, in his paper "From Anthropocene to Sustainocene - challenges and opportunities". According to Furnass the Sustainocene would transition to a low carbon economy with the help of sustainable and ethical governance, supporting interdependence of ecology, society and economy in order to reach a planetary steady state.
Characteristics
Bryan Furnass outlined main points to reach environmental sustainability, as he calls it "a post carbon world", because of air pollution, biodiversity lose and global warming. He proposed energy generation with renewable energy sources. Rail transportation rather than by road, ships which make more use of wind, hybrid cars, fuel cells, biofuels from algae and crop wastes. and so pave the way to according Rights of Nature within a conception of planetary medicine It has been argued that transition to the Sustainocene requires a concerted approach rather than piecemeal actions to support ecosystem resilience.
Energy generation
Artificial photosynthesis
Ideas to assist the transition to the Sustainocene include the rapid global deployment of help of artificial photosynthesis technology to produce hydrogen from using sunlight to split water while absorbing atmospheric nitrogen (for use as a fertiliser or to combine with hydrogen to make ammonia fuel) or absorbing atmospheric carbon dioxide to make starch, these fuels can also be used in fuel cells to generate electricity. It has been argued that in the Sustainocene, human structures (such as roads, buildings and vehicles) will cease "bludging" off ecosystems and "pay their own way" by incorporating artificial photosynthesis which will take pressure off humanity's economic need to over-exploit natural photosynthesis. This concept involves all human structures using sunlight to split water as a source of hydrogen (which when burnt as a fuel produces water) and to absorb carbon dioxide and use it to make food or fertilizer. One of the reasons for focusing on this as the main energy supply of the Sustainocene is that more solar energy strikes the Earth's surface in one hour of each day than the energy used by all human activities in one year. Arguably, there is a simple public policy message at the core of a vision such as that of the Sustainocene. "It involves telling people that nanotechnology will be used to make buildings function like trees. A device that can do this and is available to cheap purchase and installation, like the mobile phone or internet, by providing decentralised power equitably could rapidly transform society to one that is more community and values-oriented."
Connection to energy and climate change policy
Since the Anthropocene marks the evidence and the extent of human impact on the environment that have had a significant global impact on the Earth's ecosystems many studies outlined the problems and looked for solutions. The concept of an epoch with more environmental stewardship was raised with considerable public attention by The Club of Rome in 1972 with its report The Limits to Growth. The United Nations World Charter for Nature from 1982 raised five principles of conservation by which human conduct affecting nature is to be guided and judged. The IPCC Fifth Assessment Report outlines current knowledge about scientific, technical and socio-economic information concerning climate change, and lists options for adaptation and mitigation.
It has been argued that in the Sustainocene, "instead of the cargo-cult ideology of perpetual economic growth through corporate pillage of nature, globalised artificial photosynthesis will facilitate a steady state economy and further technological revolutions such as domestic nano-factories and e-democratic input to local communal and global governance structures. In such a world, humans will no longer feel economically threatened, but rather proud, that their moral growth has allowed them to uphold rights of nature."

Main Menu

See Also

Main Menu