Fire

Author(s): Christine Eriksen
Book Title: Handbook of the Anthropocene: Humans between Heritage and Future
Pages: 133-137
Publisher(s): Springer Cham
Publication Year: 2023

This chapter examines how the unfolding, unequal relationship between humans and fire breaks down the perceived dominance of human agency in the Anthropocene. Humans have been a catalyst for change. We have harnessed and, like fire, consumed our world with, among other tools, the help of nuclear fire. However, the ensuing climate change and radioactive pollution have profound social and environmental consequences. From the harnessing of fire, to uncontrollable wildfires, and the curious emergence of ‘Involuntary Parks’ with nuclear fire, the chapter discusses the seemingly apocalyptic global impacts of human entanglement with fire, and how we can (re)learn to coexist with fire.

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