Introduction

The debate on the Anthropocene is largely about old problems illuminated with new evidence. The Anthropocene discourse explores the severity of the anthropogenic ecological and socio-cultural crises on the planet, and pleads for authentic responses from the human species. As local ecosystems continue to collapse, they take the whole human civilisation closer to its end point; one micro-collapse at a time. The more humans build and dwell in their built environment, the more locked in to their thoughts and actions they seem to become. It appears almost as if there is no alternative but to continue the march of human dominance in the world. In addition to the spatial and functional challenges of turning towards sustainable and non-violent human cultures, the temporal dimension sets limitations on what can still be done or, in the case of the Anthropocene, undone. The chapter also presents an overview of the key concepts discussed in this book.