The Politics of Earth Stewardship in the Uneven Anthropocene - Earth Stewardship: Linking Ecology and Ethics in Theory and Practice - page 141

North even in the context of increased population growth in the rest of the world
(Steffen et al. 2011 , p. 746).
The Anthropocene is an epoch of the Earth where nations with the highest rates
of consumption also have the lowest levels of environmental degradation within
their borders (Leichenko and Solecki 2005 ). As incomes rise in countries, environ-
mental risks (such as air and water pollution) initially increase, then subsequently
fall. There are several related reasons for this paradox, as Rinku Roy Chowdhury
and Emilio Moran ( 2012 ) elaborate. For instance, wealthier countries are able to
“outsource” the production of goods that degrade the environment to other nations
(HDR 2011 ), and have the resources for environmental protection and restoration
activities within their own nations. 3
Much of our understanding about the relationship between environmental change
and social equity is derived from macro-scale indexes of wealth (such as Gross
Domestic Product) or quality of life (such as the Human Development Index).
While these indicators are insightful, they miss the heterogeneous patterns that
reveal differential vulnerabilities to environmental hazards, including within nations
in the Global North (Ravallion 2007 ). How individuals, institutions, and social
groups experience these vulnerabilities is structured by a complex and dynamic set
of historical, economic, cultural, and political conditions. Classic studies within the
environmental justice literature have documented how toxic waste dumps and facili-
ties are disproportionately sited near places where ethnic and racial minorities live
in the United States (Bullard 1994 ; UCCCRJ 1987 ; Cole 1994 ). Other research has
shown that as cities change, these past patterns of residential segregation may pro-
duce unexpected outcomes—such as how the legacy of “white fl ight” in Baltimore
has created new patterns of spatial segregation and access to environmental ameni-
ties such as parks (Boone et al. 2009 ). As Robbins's work on the political ecology
of lawns in the United States has shown (Box 10.1 ), wealth and education do not
always correlate with healthier local environments.
The Anthropocene is also an epoch of the Earth where new forms of governance
are creating these uneven processes of social and environmental change. Moreover,
these forms of governance, which we are calling “global assemblages,” often tran-
scend the boundaries and power of the nation state. Global assemblages are socio-
ecological constellations that include multinational corporations, development
initiatives, media networks, trade agreements, political treaties and other forms of
governance, lending organizations, and non-governmental organizations (see, for
example, Tsing 2005 ). As Sassen describes ( 2008 ), key institutions and agents
within global assemblages, whether the International Monetary Fund (IMF), or
multinational corporations, serve as “instruments,” that drive socio-ecological
changes associated with our world today. Many of these global assemblages are
guided by neoliberal trade agreements that leave communities and ecosystems in
the Global South less resilient to socio-ecological change, as Daly and Goodland
( 1994 ) demonstrate. These global assemblages should be understood as new, trans-
national forms of socio-ecological governance.
3 For examples of how global markets negatively impact regions of Latin America see Rozzi and
Feinsinger ( 2001 ), and Rozzi ( 2012 ).