The Future is Now! Reframing Environmentalism after the Anthropocene

Since its inception, environmentalism has been the most pugnacious voice in the public debate on the socionatural relation and is still widely accepted as a legitimate spokesperson for nature itself. Yet its ability to lead the way towards a moralized sustainable society has been gradually diminishing. Sustainability has become mainstream and the radical green agenda does not seem to appeal to the global middle class. In this context, the Anthropocene can be seen as a chance for reframing environmentalism -a strong environmentalism being indispensable for shaping a good Anthropocene in the first place. How could this be achieved? Enviromentalists should accept the basic socionatural facts as exposed by the Anthropocene: an species that adapts aggressively to the environment by transforming it, the ensuing colonization of nature resulting in a mixture of relative control and gradual hybridization. Morally speaking, its results are both regrettable (destruction of beings and habitats) and commendable (human population growth, material and cultural richness). It is time to re-arrange the socionatural relation in a more enlightened way. In this regard, the Anthropocene may serve as a framework for reassessing the good society. But as strong moral sacrificies for the sake of the environment are not likely, only an affordable ecological ethics -one that does not diminish our material well-being- seems plausible. This paper will suggest that environmentalism should combine eco-modernization with a vindication of nature's value in a non-essentialist way (a hybrid nature that is part of a multi-layered, increasingly mixed-up socionatural entanglement), while fostering a political anthropology not grounded on survivalism. The concept of habitation may be helpful for this task and will be discussed accordingly. All in all, fostering the transition from aggressive adaptation to clever re-adaptation looks like a suitable program for a renewed environmentalism, and the best way for renewing environmentalism itself.