“WELCOME TO THE ANTHROPOCENE: TEACHING CLIMATE HISTORY –
THERE IS NO PLANET B“

 

by Dr. Alan Singer, Ph.D.,
Department of Teaching, Learning and Technology, Hofstra University,
Hempstead, NY, USA

 

ABSTRACT

As climate transformation continues unabated because of human action and inaction, 2021 was a year of climate extremes. Levels of methane in the atmosphere increased by the largest amount since measurements began. The Arctic and Antarctic ices sheets and northern permafrost continued to melt and there were record wildfires across the globe. Meanwhile the burden of climate change falls hardest on the least developed economies that have the smallest carbon footprint and while scientific evidence of human caused climate change and the prospects for a catastrophic near future is overwhelming, climate denial supported by powerful financial fuel corporations stalls international action. Welcome to the Anthropocene. Climate cycles, both long and short-term are natural consequences of geological history, but there is no question that recent changes since the start of the Industrial revolution are caused by human action. A study of past climate changes provides scientific evidence to explain current transformations. It is questionable whether a globalized capitalist system or technological innovations can effectively address climate change. The debate in classrooms and the political realm should not be whether climate change is happening or how much it places human civilization at risk but over how societies and individuals must respond to stabilize climate and reverse the most damaging impacts.

 

BIOGRAPHY

Dr. Alan Singer, Ph.D., is a social studies educator and historian in the Department of Teaching, Learning and Technology at Hofstra University, Long Island, New York. He is a former New York City high school teacher and regularly blogs on Daily Kos and other sites on educational and political issues. Dr. Singer is a graduate of the City College of New York and earned a Ph.D. in American history from Rutgers University. His most recent book is Teaching Climate History: There is NO Planet B (Routledge, 2022). In the book he traces the Earth’s climate history looking at natural cycles and transitions to explain the science behind impact of human caused climate change during the Industrial Era and the threat of an impending climate catastrophe. Dr. Singer is also the author of is the author of Education Flashpoints (Routledge, 2014), Teaching to Learn, Learning to Teach: A Handbook for Secondary School Teachers, 2nd edition (Routledge, 2013), Social Studies For Secondary Schools, 4th Edition (Routledge, 2014), Teaching Global History, 2nd Edition (Routledge, 2020), New York and Slavery, Time to Teach the Truth (SUNY, 2008), and New York’s Grand Emancipation Jubilee (SUNY, 2018). He is the co-author of Supporting Civics Education with Student Activism (Routledge, 2021).