Australia in the Anthropocene

The book is a study on planetary realism in a critical analysis of Australia in the age of the Anthropocene. It contextualises Australia in the degradation of the biosphere deeply harmful to humanity’s wellbeing, accelerating the threat of nuclear war and the tensions of a declining democracy. The Anthropocene is a critical period, threatening the viability of the Australian nation-state. It involves the decarbonisation of the economy driven by domestic and foreign corporate power, and the geopolitics of world domination as a close ally of the US. Australia’s militarisation for war against China must be contested in the pursuit for a green and just new deal framed in the foreign policy of reconciliation with Asia, including a fully cooperative entente with China

Erik Paul (BA, MA Minn; PhD UC Berkeley) is at the University of Sydney. His research focuses on Australia’s relations with the Asia-Pacific region and issues of global governance, and regional and world peace. His latest books include Australia in the Expanding Global Crisis (2020) and Australian Imperialism (2021)