Web Roundup: Weather the Weather

Inspired by yet another prediction of snowfall tonight in Brooklyn, this month’s web roundup will briefly outline some recent looks at climate change. Over at Jacobin, Andreas Malm critiques the Anthropocene narrative’s place in discourse around climate change. Malm writes, “Species-thinking on climate change only induces paralysis. If everyone is to blame, then no one is.” At Aeon, Jedediah Purdy worries that the “Anthropocene [is set up] as a Rorschach blot for discerning what commentators think is the epochal change in the human/nature relationship.” But when the news, like this recent post on ThinkProgress, argues that “global warming creates more global warning,” what else is there to do beyond looking to the Anthropocene for answers?

Nautilus looks at archaelogy’s role in nuclear-waste management, where “archaeological analogs can inspire us to reflect more imaginatively on possible similarities and differences between distant past, far-future, and present-day worlds.” Here too the Anthropocene is central, the guide to thinking through efficacy and futurity in nuclear-waste repositories.

Shrinking natural resources worldwide also inspired quite a few publications this month. Wired recently published an edifying piece on struggles over sand, “The Deadly Global War for Sand,” that details the high-stakes culture of illegal sand mining. The infographics alone are worth the trip to FEELguide, where “R.I.P. California (1850-2016)” reviews the “world’s first major water collapse.” Is there anything we can do to fight this seemingly inevitable march toward climate collapse? Well, Upstream suggests we continue to explore recycling.

Given the unseasonable snow headed my way, it might seem like the earth isn’t getting any warmer, but MAHB’s Holly Moehler has a hot take on why snowstorms fit firmly into climate change science.

Grab a sweater and enjoy a few more links of interest:

“Anglo Saxon Remedy Kills Hospital Superbug MRSA” – NewScientist

“How Influential Was Alan Turing? The Tangled Invention of Computing (and its historiography)” – blog.CASTAC

“The Science of Near-Death Experiences” – The Atlantic

“The Secret Life of the Aluminum Can, A Feat of Engineering” – Wired

“Aliens Among Us: Extraterrestrial Anthropology” – The Geek Anthropologist

“Fur Trade: When a Niche Community Goes Corporate” – Hazlitt

“Sex, Lives and Disability” – Mosaic