Eleven Antitheses on Cities and States: Challenging the Mindscape of Chronology and Chorography in Anthropogenic Climate Change

Authors

  • Peter James Taylor Northumbria University, UK
  • Geoff O'Brien Northumbria University
  • Phil O'Keefe Northumbria University

Keywords:

Anthropogenic climate change, cities, consumption, modern, states, trans-modern

Abstract

The basic argument is that we should be thinking in trans-modern ways when considering how to react to anthropogenic climate change. Showing that the mainstream approaches to climate change theory and policymaking are overtly modern, we identify this as a mindscape inherently constrained by its particular chronology and chorography. Our contribution to necessary trans-modern thinking is presentation of ten basic and widely accepted theses on modern chronology and chorography that we contest through antitheses, which we argue are more suited to engaging with anthropogenic climate change. These support a consumption argument for urban demand being the crucial generator of climate for 8,000 years in direct contradiction to the production argument that greenhouse gases are the crucial generator of climate change for 200 years. The modern policymaking focus on curbing carbon emissions is thus seen to be fundamentally flawed: merely feeding energy for continuing an accelerating global consumption in a different way that is only marginally more climate-friendly. Reflecting on the antitheses we conclude by discussing the difficulties of translating trans-modern ideas into political action.

Author Biographies

Peter James Taylor, Northumbria University, UK

Emeritus Professor

Geoff O'Brien, Northumbria University

Senior lecturer

Phil O'Keefe, Northumbria University

Emeritus Professor

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Published

2016-07-07

How to Cite

Taylor, P. J., O’Brien, G., & O’Keefe, P. (2016). Eleven Antitheses on Cities and States: Challenging the Mindscape of Chronology and Chorography in Anthropogenic Climate Change. ACME: An International Journal for Critical Geographies, 15(2), 393–417. Retrieved from https://acme-journal.org/index.php/acme/article/view/1287