Humans have spent thousands of years transforming the natural world from controlled burns that reshaped landscapes to industrial agriculture that feeds billions. The question now, according to one of the researchers who has spent his career studying this transformation, is whether those same civilizational capabilities can be harnessed for recovery.
According to University of Maryland, Baltimore County (UMBC) geographer and environmental scientist and head of the Anthroecology Lab Erle Ellis, this is possible and there are ways to achieve it, and they are already available.
What does the Anthropocene actually mean?
The Anthropocene refers to the scientific name given to the current geological epoch in which the determining factors are no longer geological forces, but rather human efforts. Human interference with the planet, such as climate change, mass extinction of species and pollution, is equated with geological forces.
Ellis has worked with UMBC for decades, studying societies of different sizes, ranging from village settlements to global commercial activities, as they have affected ecosystems.
It’s a way to look at it from a less pessimistic angle. The same cultural adaptations, fire, agriculture, institutions and shared norms, that caused environmental damage, he argues, are the mechanisms through which recovery becomes possible.
Ellis makes a clear distinction between consciousness and action. Societies have long demonstrated the ability to work together around shared problems and reorganize their relationships with natural systems, but that ability is often activated by aspiration as much as by fear. Focusing solely on collapse and borders, he argues, risks obscuring the collective power that has historically driven change.
As such, recent scientific research within the environmental social sciences has supported this way of thinking. It is clear that changes within culture and collaboration between institutions work better than technological solutions alone.
Ellis describes the essential elements needed to achieve a true course correction. “Reemphasizing the kinship relationships among all living things is a start to our common evolutionary ancestry,” he said, “combined with new ways to connect people and nature, from remote sensing to webcams, to nature apps, to nature reserves, corridor networks and ecotourism.”
“Aspirations for a better future must also make peace with the past through the restoration of Indigenous and traditional sovereignty over land and water,” Ellis said.
This perspective is consistent with emerging research showing how Indigenous managed lands outperform conventional reserves when it comes to biodiversity outcomes.
