An Index to the First Year of the Field Guide

4/14/22 – A Field Guide to the Anthropocene is one year old!

The Blue Marble image, as originally captured by the crew of Apollo 17, with the Earth “upside down.” I use this photo as the Field Guide’s icon for several reasons, but primarily because a) my goal here is to describe the Earth as it is rather than how we wish to see it, b) Africa and Antarctica, the beginning and end of our restless terrestrial journey, take center stage, and c) it represents the illusion many of us have that Earth is somehow merely a launch pad for a “greater” human exploration.

Hello everyone:

This week I’d like to pause and mark the first anniversary of the Field Guide. Which means first of all saying Thank You. I am grateful to each of you for supporting this writing. I am grateful also for the opportunity to use my voice in service to the creation of a more humane and ecologically vibrant Anthropocene.

For 52 weeks now I’ve been standing at this desk into the wee hours, writing and researching, all in hopes of bringing a bit of perspective and insight to the environmental estrangement that we call the Anthropocene. That has meant looking outward to the rapidly diminishing natural world, inward and backward to the particular mode of consciousness that has brought us to the brink, and forward to the choose-our-own-adventure options of either respecting and restoring life on Earth or intensifying the planet-shifting behaviors we have normalized.

The Anthropocene is more likely the result of culture than of human nature (there’s a debate to be had on this, I know). Different cultures are different expressions of human nature, but we’d do well to remember that for nearly the full length of human history all human cultures belonged to the Earth rather than imagining it belonged to them.

Here’s how an essay, “Learning to Think Like a Planet” from the Institute for Interdisciplinary Research into the Anthropocene, put it:

Culture is a civilisation’s shared way of making sense of the world: what is real, what is knowable, and what has value. It conditions our ways of being, seeing, doing and imagining. It determines what we consider appropriate action in and on the world. It defines the taken-for-granted limits of the possible and the acceptable. As Swedish scholar Steven Hartman has written: “The great environmental predicament of the early 21st century is not primarily an ecological crisis, though its ramifications are far-reaching within ecological systems. Rather it is a crisis of culture.

This Field Guide is meant to be my hand joining with all of yours in the necessary, urgent, and multigenerational effort to turn the wheel of culture in a new direction. The tasks are terribly large, but so are the consequences of failure. We can see those consequences arriving already, as the climate and biodiversity crises quickly intensify. We have no choice but to try to turn the wheel. What else is there?

To mark our first anniversary, I’m offering you an index to the year’s writing. (Not the most romantic anniversary gift, I know.) It’s a view backward, but also a resource going forward. My hope is that it will provide a useful reference to this new world that each week I’m working to describe, story by story and subject by subject.

My list of topics to write on is longer now than when I began a year ago. Each week I add more to the list, which is both exciting and overwhelming. There’s so much to address, to think about, to share, and to work on together.

I like to think of the entirety of these weekly essays as a body of work that can be revisited and referenced, rather than consumed like a meal and left behind. But our lives are full and our days are busy, so the index is intended to make the revisiting easier.

Please note that while this index is thorough, it is not meticulous, and does not account for every mention of every person, place, thing, or idea. This is a guide to primary and secondary topics, some key terms, plus some important people and books.

Also, because this index is long, those of you using Gmail may find this post cut short. You can see the complete piece by simply clicking on the Field Guide header above.

Finally, I’d like to thank each of you, again, for being part of this journey. I want to especially thank my paid subscribers for supporting the work. The more of you there are, the more I can devote myself to the writing. It means the world to me.

I look forward to our next year together.

As always, please remember to scroll past the end of the post to read this week’s curated Anthropocene news. There’s some hopeful stuff in there.

Without further ado, then, here is the index to the first year of the Field Guide to the Anthropocene.

INDEX: A FIELD GUIDE TO THE ANTHROPOCENE, APRIL 2021 TO APRIL 2022

• Air pollution: 1/27/22, 3/10/22,

• Agency (capacity to act) in the Anthropocene: 12/30/21, 1/6/22, 1/20/22, 3/24/22,

• Agricultural impacts on biodiversity: 2/24/22,

• American Breakdown: Notes from an Industrialized Body, by Jennifer Lunden: 7/15/21, 1/20/22,

• Amphibians: 3/31/22,

• Antarctica: 6/10/21, 6/24/21, 7/29/21, 12/16/21, 12/30/21, 1/13/22, 2/3/22, 2/17/22,

• Anthony, Vaughn (my father): 4/22/21, 4/7/22,

• “Anthropocene” definitions and discussion: 4/29/21, 5/6/21, 5/13/21, 6/24/21, 7/29/21, 8/26/21, 1/13/22, 2/10/22, 2/17/22, 3/17/22, 4/7/22,

• Apocalyptic futures: 11/11/21,

• Apocalyptic Planet, by Craig Childs: 6/10/21,

• Arctic Dreams, by Barry Lopez: 4/22/21, 12/23/21,

• Atmospheric aerosol loading: 3/10/22,

• Attenborough, David: 9/2/21, 2/17/22, 3/10/22,

• Authoritarianism in the Anthropocene: 1/6/22,

• Backyard rewilding: 4/29/21, 5/13/21, 3/24/22,

• Big Night: 10/14/21, 3/31/22,

• Biodiversity loss: 8/5/21, 11/4/21, 11/11/21, 11/18/21, 1/13/22, 1/27/22, 2/3/22, 2/24/22, 3/24/22, 3/31/22,

• Biogeochemical flows (phosphorus and nitrogen): 3/3/22,

• Biophilia: 1/13/22, 2/10/22, 3/24/22,

• Biosolids (municipal septic waste used as fertilizer): 1/27/22, 3/31/22,

• Biosphere Integrity: 1/27/22, 2/17/22, 2/24/22,

• Bird conservation: 3/24/22, 4/7/22,

• Braiding Sweetgrass, by Robin Wall Kimmerer: 9/9/21,

• Brand, Stewart: 5/13/21

• Brannen, Peter: 6/3/21, 6/10/21, 7/22/21, 3/3/22,

• Breaking Boundaries (documentary on planetary boundaries): 2/17/22, 2/24/22, 3/10/22,

• Breakthrough Institute: 12/9/21,

• Carbon cycle: 6/3/21,

• Carson, Rachel: 5/27/21,

• Cassandra: 1/20/22,

• CASSE (Center for the Advancement of a Steady-State Economy): 12/16/21,

• Center for Large Landscape Conservation: 9/30/21, 10/7/21,

• CFCs: 3/10/22,

• Chemical industry: 1/27/22, 3/3/22, 3/31/22,

• Childs, Craig: 6/10/21,

• China: 1/6/22,

• Circular economy: 3/10/22,

• Climate change: 7/1/21, 8/12/21, 1/27/22, 2/3/22, 2/17/22, 2/24/22,

• Climate change as a symptom of the Anthropocene: 5/6/21, 11/25/21, 2/24/22,

• CO2 levels: 6/3/21, 6/10/21,

• Code Red for humanity: 8/12/21,

• Connecting to nature, the importance of: 5/6/21, 7/1/21, 9/9/21, 10/21/21, 3/24/22,

• Consciousness, human and other: 3/17/22,

• Constant growth (economic): 12/2/21, 12/9/21, 12/16/21, 3/10/22,

• Constitutional right to a healthy environment: 5/20/21, 1/27/22,  

• The Creation: An Appeal to Save Life on Earth, by E.O. Wilson: 1/6/22,

• Darwin, Charles: 1/13/22,

• “Deadly trio” of ocean acidification, deoxygenation, and warming: 6/3/21

• Deep sea mining: 9/2/21,

• Deforestation: 8/5/21, 9/9/21,

• Degrowth: 12/16/21,

• Democracy in the Anthropocene: 1/6/22,

• Diary of a Young Naturalist, by Dara McNulty: 7/8/21,

• Doughnut Economics: 3/10/22,

• Drawdown: The Most Comprehensive Plan Ever Proposed to Reduce Global Warming: 6/10/21,

• Earth Day: 4/22/21

• Earth’s carrying capacity (for humans): 11/18/21,

• Ecological amnesia: 2/10/22,

• Ecologically incoherent fairy tale: 12/2/21,

• Ecological Ponzi scheme, Anthropocene culture as: 5/20/21, 4/7/22,  

• Ecomodernism: 12/9/21,

• Economics: 12/2/21, 12/9/21, 12/16/21,

• Ecophilia: 1/13/22,

• Electrical grid: 10/28/21, 4/7/22,

• Electrification of everything: 10/21/21, 10/28/21, 2/3/22, 4/7/22,

• Electrify: An Optimist’s Playbook for Our Clean Energy Future, by Saul Griffiths: 10/28/21,

• Emerson, Ralph Waldo: 9/9/21,

• Empathy: 2/10/22, 3/24/22, 3/31/22,

• Encyclopedia of Life: 1/6/22,

• The Ends of the World, by Peter Brannen: 6/3/21, 6/10/21, 3/3/22,

• Ensnared (living in a world structured by values we do not share): 10/28/21, 12/2/21, 1/27/22,

• EPA: 1/27/22,

• Erlich, Paul: 11/18/21,

• Extinction (see also Mass extinction): 2/24/22,

• Extinction Rebellion: 12/16/21, 1/6/22,

• Farrier, David: 6/10/21, 11/18/21,

• Fertilizer: 3/3/22,

• Fisheries: 4/22/21, 5/27/21, 4/7/22,

• Footprints: In Search of Future Fossils, by David Farrier: 6/10/21, 11/18/21,

• Freshwater use (global): 1/27/22, 3/10/22,

• Fusion power: 2/3/22,

• Gaia hypothesis/theory: 11/18/21, 3/17/22,

• “Ghastly” report: 4/22/21, 5/20/21, 1/6/22,

• Ghosh, Amitav: 9/9/21,

• Global equity: 12/16/21,

• Good ancestors, are we being: 7/15/21,

• Gould, Stephen Jay: 5/6/21

• Governance: 1/6/22,

• Green Amendment movement: 5/20/21, 1/27/22,

• Green growth: 12/9/21,

• Griffith, Saul: 10/28/21,

• Growthism: 12/2/21, 12/9/21, 12/16/21,

• Habitat loss: 5/20/21, 5/27/21, 2/24/21, 4/7/22,

• Habitat connectivity: 9/30/21, 10/7/21, 10/14/21,

• Habitat restoration: 4/29/21, 5/13/21, 10/21/21, 2/24/22,

• Half-Earth Project: 1/6/22, 2/24/22,

• Hardy, Heather: 5/6/21, 1/13/22,

• Haudenosaunee Confederacy: 7/15/21,

• Hawken, Paul: 6/10/21, 12/30/21,

• Heat waves: 7/1/21,

• Hickel, Jason: 12/2/21, 12/16/21,

• Horizon, by Barry Lopez: 4/22/21, 12/23/21,

• Human consciousness as root of Anthropocene: 3/17/22,

• Human culture as root of Anthropocene: 5/13/21, 2/10/22,

• Humans are not alone: 7/1/21, 9/9/21,

• Hydro power: 10/28/21,

• The Ice: A Journey to Antarctica, by Stephen Pyne: 7/22/21,

• Inequality: 12/16/21,

• Insects, loss of: 11/4/21, 2/24/22,

• Invasive plants: 10/21/21,

• I=PAT: 7/8/21,

• IPCC reports: 8/12/21,

• Ishmael, by Daniel Quinn: 3/17/22,

• Kimmerer, Robin Wall: 9/9/21, 11/4/21, 1/13/22,

• Kolbert, Elizabeth: 7/22/21,

• Landscapes of ghosts: 8/5/21,

• Land transformation: 1/27/22, 2/24/22,

• Laudato Si’ (On Care for Our Common Home), by Pope Francis: 6/17/21,

• Less is More, by Jason Hickel: 12/2/21, 12/16/21,

• Life in Syntropy: 8/19/21,

• The Limits to Growth: 12/2/21,

• Limits to growth (population, economics): 11/18/21, 12/2/21,

• Lopez, Barry: 4/22/21, 5/13/21, 7/15/21, 9/9/21, 9/30/21, 12/23/21, 12/30/21,

• Louv, Richard: 9/9/21,        

• Love for the natural world: 5/6/21, 1/13/22, 2/10/22, 3/24/22, 3/31/22,

• Lucifer Effect: 12/9/21,

• Lunden, Jennifer: 7/15/21, 1/20/22,

• Lyme Disease: 9/16/21,

• MacDonald, Helen: 12/30/21,

• Macfarlane, Robert: 7/15/21, 8/26/21, 9/9/21,

• Maine, Anthropocene impacts in: 8/5/21, 1/20/22, 1/27/22,

• Maine Master Naturalist Program: 5/6/21, 1/13/22,

• Marine permaculture: 6/3/21,

• Marine Protected Areas: 1/21/22, 4/7/22,

• Mars exploration: 7/29/21,

• Mass extinction: 5/20/21, 6/3/21, 6/10/21, 2/24/22,

• Microbial Anthropocene: 6/10/21, 7/8/21,

• Microplastics: 3/3/22,

• Mining: 9/2/21, 2/3/22,

• Montreal Protocol on regulating ozone: 3/10/22,

• Moose: 9/30/21,

• Natural resource parable: 3/3/22,

• Nature deficit disorder: 1/13/22,

• Nauru (South Pacific nation) as Anthropocene cautionary tale: 9/2/21,

• New Year’s: 12/30/21,

• Nitrogen cycle: 1/27/22, 3/3/22,

• Novel entities: 1/27/22, 3/3/22,

• Ocean acidification: 6/3/21, 1/27/22, 3/3/22,

• Ocean dead zones: 6/3/21,

• Ocean deoxygenation: 6/3/21,

• Ocean pollution: 5/27/21,

• Ocean warming: 6/3/21, 3/3/22,

• Offshore wind power: 4/7/22,

• Oliver, Mary: 9/9/21,

• Overfishing: 5/27/21, 4/7/22,

• Overshoot Day: 5/20/21, 12/9/21,  

• Ozone depletion: 1/27/22, 3/10/22,

• Paint: 7/8/21,

• Pandemic, SARS-CoV-2: 9/23/21, 12/16/21,

• Pesticides: 11/4/21, 3/3/22,

• Pets: 2/10/22,

• PFAS contamination: 1/27/22, 3/31/22,

• Phosphorus cycle: 1/27/22, 3/3/22,

• Pine Tree Amendment: 1/27/22,

• Planetary boundaries: 1/27/22, 2/17/22, 2/24/22, 3/3/22, 3/10/22,

• Planetary intelligence: 3/17/22,

• Plastics: 1/27/22, 3/3/22,

• Politics: 1/6/22,

• Polymetallic nodules: 9/2/21,

• Population, human: 5/20/21, 9/23/21, 11/18/21,

• Precautionary Principle: 3/3/22, 3/10/22,

• Project Drawdown: 8/19/21,

• Pyne, Stephen: 7/22/21,

• The Pyrocene: How We Created an Age of Fire, and What Happens Next, by Stephen Pyne: 7/22/21,

• Quammen, David: 10/14/21,

• Regeneration: Ending the Climate Crisis in One Generation: 10/14/21, 11/25/21, 12/30/21,

• The Road, by Cormac McCarthy: 11/11/21,

• Road ecology: 9/30/21, 10/7/21, 10/14/21,

• Roadkill: 9/30/21, 10/7/21, 10/14/21,

• Rockström, Johan: 2/17/22, 2/24/22, 3/3/22, 3/10/22,

• Salk, Jonas: 7/15/21,

• Scientists’ responsibility to speak out: 5/20/21, 1/20/22, 3/31/22,

• Sheldrake, Merlin: 8/26/21,

• Sherwin-Williams logo: 7/8/21,

• Shoreline clean-ups: 5/27/21,

• Slavery, broadly defined, as feature of Anthropocene: 2/10/22,

• Solstice: 6/24/21, 12/23/21,

• Songbird Farm and PFAS contamination: 1/27/22, 3/31/22,

• Space exploration: 7/29/21, 12/16/21, 3/17/22,

• Species loneliness: 9/9/21,

• Steady-state economy: 12/16/21,

• Stockholm Resiliency Centre: 1/27/22, 2/17/22, 2/24/22, 3/3/22, 3/10/22,

• Studying nature: 5/6/21, 1/13/22, 3/24/22,

• The Sun: 2/3/22,

• Supervolcano, human CO2 output resembling: 6/3/21, 6/10/21,

• Tallamy, Douglas: 4/29/21

• Thunberg, Greta: 11/11/21, 12/9/21, 1/6/22,

• Ticks: 9/16/21,

• Time, Anthropocene compression of: 6/10/21, 2/24/22,

• Topophilia: 1/13/22,

• Tree swallows: 3/24/22,

• Turtles: 3/31/22,

• Underland: A Deep Time Journey, by Robert Macfarlane: 7/15/21, 8/26/21,

• Vegetarianism, benefits of: 3/3/22, 3/10/22,

• Veneer of civilization: 11/11/21,

• Vesper Flights, by Helen MacDonald: 12/30/21,

• Water crisis: 3/10/22,

• Weather, as altered by climate change: 7/1/21,

• White Sky, by Elizabeth Kolbert: 7/22/21,

• Wicked Problem: 1/6/22,

• Wildlife crossings: 9/30/21, 10/7/21, 10/14/21,

• Wilson, E.O.: 9/23/21, 11/4/21, 11/18/21, 1/6/22, 1/13/22,

• Wind power: 4/7/22,

• Windshield phenomenon: 11/4/21,

• Zaitchik, Alexander: 12/2/21, 12/16/21,

Thanks for sticking with me.

In curated Anthropocene news:

From Mother Jones, a beautiful, thoughtful essay on our relationship with sonic diversity in nature.

From the New York Times, reporting on last year’s largest-ever increase in methane emissions.

Good news, from the BBC: For the first time, 10% of the world’s electricity generation in 2021 came from wind and solar. The bad news is that coal generation also spiked. What ties these two facts together is that demand for electricity grew worldwide, adding the equivalent of another India.

More good news, this time from Cornell’s All About Birds: A new ordinance in NYC directs city-owned or city–occupied buildings to reduce nighttime lighting during peak bird migration periods. Darkening just half of the windows in a building during this period has been shown to reduce bird collisions by a factor of 11. So every window matters.

From Yale e360, it’s time to bring back controlled fire to the Eastern landscape, after centuries of ill-conceived suppression. Used properly, fire is a natural and necessary act of eco-restoration, not destruction.

From The Revelator: Want to live in a world that repairs things instead of throwing them away? Try Vienna, where the government pays you to repair your stuff. The Revelator republished this piece from Reasons to Be Cheerful, which you might like to read when the world is getting you down.

From Emergence, the saguaro cactus as a being with personhood, endowed as such for millennia by the people who have lived in community with it.