Learning to Die in the Anthropocene by Roy Scranton Analysis

Climate change is a product of global warming caused by human emissions and greenhouse gases. Climate change causes many life altering effects on the environment and the world we live in. Even though climate change has been happening for years, the effects of climate change are becoming seemingly more evident as time goes on. Some scientists believe that these developments in the environment can never be reversed. The book titled “ Learning How to Die in the Anthropocene” by Roy Scranton compares the irreversible effects of climate change to the apocalyptic consequences of war. 

Roy Scranton talks about the horrors he experienced while fighting in Iraq. He expressed that he had to battle with the thought of death every day. Scranton worried about the dangerous and life altering events that might occur. He says, “Every morning, after doing maintenance on my Humvee, I’d imagine getting blown up by an I.E.D., shot by a sniper, burned to death, run over by a tank, torn apart by dogs, captured and beheaded, and succumbing to dysentery”. Scranton realized that escaping death was going to be difficult when he was in a highly dangerous situation. Instead of fearing the inevitable, he learned to live with the thought of death. He was no longer focused on himself, instead he wanted to lead others and operate in a way that others would survive. 

When Scranton came back from war he was able to relax in the safety of his own home. The feeling of fear came rushing back when he saw that a hurricane had caused the same devastation as the war in Iraq. Scranton expressed, “This time it was the weather that brought shock and awe, but I saw the same chaos and urban collapse I’d seen in Baghdad”. Scranton was able to see that the hurricane and war had some of the same effects on the people, structures, and the environment. He described both situations as an “apocalyptic” environment. Both events had wiped out the landscape and there was no way to restore it to the original state.

Even though Scranton seems consumed with the idea of death, his main concern is climate change. Scranton provides evidence from many scientists and studies about the effects of climate change and what it is doing to our planet. He wants to inform his readers that climate change is a very serious issue. We have caused damage to our environment that can never be undone. He says that if we continue with our daily habits the earth will be heading for the apocalyptic future faster than we thought. Scranton states, “We face the imminent collapse of the agricultural, shipping and energy networks upon which the global economy depends, a large-scale die-off in the biosphere that’s already well on its way, and our own possible extinction.” Scranton describes future human existence as mere survival in a bleak and barren world. 

Throughout his book, Scranton tries to convey the seriousness of the situation. Scranton quotes Admiral Samuel J. Locklear III, the commander of the United States Pacific Command when he told specialists,  “that global climate change was the greatest threat the United States faced — more dangerous than terrorism, Chinese hackers and North Korean nuclear missiles. Upheaval from increased temperatures, rising seas and radical destabilization “is probably the most likely thing that is going to happen…”” Scranton hopes to shock his readers with his statement and make them realize that climate change is one of the most serious problems we face. If we do not prioritize climate change as one of the most imminent threats to our society, we will not allocate the necessary resources to overcome a problem of this magnitude. 

Scranton comes back to the idea of death later in his book. He discusses that human-kind does not seem to be able to change for the better. We need to be able to accept that we have done too much damage to the earth for it to be fixable. Scranton quotes a book called the samurai manual: “Meditation on inevitable death should be performed daily.” Scranton believes that all people should be able to come to terms with the idea of death. He believes that we are all dead already. Scranton believes that we should use the tactic he used during war, to accept that death is unavoidable. When he accepted death, his situation was far less daunting and stressful. Scranton tries to get this message across to his readers by ending the passage with “If we want to learn to live in the Anthropocene, we must first learn how to die.” Scranton believes if we are going to accept the damaged world we live in we must learn to accept death as part of it. 

Most scientists agree that climate change is having real and lasting effects on the earth and if we do not make a change the environment will continue to decline. There are many other books and articles written by scientists that believe that the earth will be able to renew itself if humans take appropriate actions. If we decrease carbon emission, recycle, conserve energy, and reduce waste it will foster a healthier environment. Scranton’s book, “Learning to Die in the Anthropocene”, seems to have an extremely negative and hopeless view of the future. I question his views and statements about the future. How can Scranton be so confident that the planet is on a course of unstoppable destruction? I tend to agree with the scientists that believe the earth can be repaired and renewed. It is not in our best interest to have the same mindset as Scranton. If we choose to accept that our world is damaged beyond repair, there is no incentive to discover new technologies and ways of living that would allow the Earth to renew itself.

Climate change is a serious problem with long lasting consequences, the effects of climate change can be seen everywhere. Scanton believes that we should focus more on climate change and the damage it is causing. He wants to inform his readers that the damage we have done can no longer be undone. Scranton says, “The human psyche naturally rebels against the idea of its end”. As humans we do not want to think about the idea of death. Scranton believes that we need to come to terms with the fact that climate change is what will lead to our death. Scranton wants his readers to know that facing our death is the best solution. If we choose to ignore them, the fear of our problems becomes overwhelming.