Review of 'Security in the Anthropocene Reflections on Safety and Care'

Cameron Harrington and Clifford Shearing, Security in the Anthropocene Reflections on Safety and Care, (Bielefeld: Transcript, 2017), 220 pp.

Reviewed by: Simon Dalby (Balsillie School of International Affairs, Wilfrid Laurier University)

The Anthropocene refers to the now widespread designation of contemporary times as a new geological epoch in planetary history. Given the huge scale and the dramatic transformation of the planet by human actions, historically mostly by the European empires and developed states and more recently by a growing global economy using huge quantities of fossil fuels, the rich and powerful parts of humanity have changed the human context substantially.

This passionate and extremely well written volume should be read by all of us interested in such questions. It cannot provide a clearly formulated set of policy solutions, but it very effectively begins the necessary and urgent task of focusing our collective attention on how to rethink security in the Anthropocene.

The review is available online:

https://acuns.org/review-of-security-in-the-anthropocene-reflections-on-safety-and-care/.