The Anthropocene
Repairing a Broken Problem Frame
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 7153281 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Claire Konkes (0000-0003-0847-0763, University of Tasmania, corresponding author) |
| Year | 2026 |
| Volume | 20 |
| Issue | 1 |
| Pages | 127-139 |
| Publication date | 2026-01-02 |
| Peer Reviewed | Yes |
| Open Access | No |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | Environmental Communication (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 1752-4032 • E-ISSN: 1752-4040 |
| Publisher | Informa UK Limited (PUBLISHER • GB) |
| DOI | 10.1080/17524032.2025.2581198 |
| OpenAlex | W4415979173 |
| Language | EN |
| Citations received | 1 |
| References cited | 54 |
Despite its formal rejection as a new geological epoch in 2024, “the Anthropocene” continues to circulate widely in scientific, policy, and public circles as a maturing neologism signifying the complex ecological and social problems humanity faces at a global scale. While there is a corpus of criticism around the Anthropocene and related concepts, this paper focuses on the discursive construction of the Anthropocene as a problem frame that places the focus on the cause of global crises, while remaining ambiguous about possible corrections. For this reason, I argue it is a broken problem frame. Responding to Hanna E. Morris’s idea of Apocalyptic Authoritarianism, which describes how crisis narratives can be used to justify exceptional governance measures, I argue that the weakness of the Anthropocene, as a problem frame, lies in a rhetorical structure. Returning to key concepts in communication theory – namely, framing, discourse, and heuristics – I trace the scientific origins of the term and its rhetorical evolution as a “useful descriptor.” More than scholarly pedantry, I argue that this weak formulation perpetuates paralysing uncertainty, rather stimulating affective responses, because it perpetuates ideological assumptions about human wickedness and the limitations of democracy
Anthropocene · Criticism · Derogation · Humanity · Ideology · Narrative · Rhetoric · Rhetorical question · Wickedness · Ecocriticism and Environmental Literature · Posthumanist Ethics and Activism · Ukraine: War, Education, Health
Governing the Anthropocene
Unfit for the Future
From planetary to societal boundaries
Extensions of "The Tragedy of the Commons"
The psychological causes and societal consequences of authoritarianism
Atmospheric homeostasis by and for the biosphere
Revisiting the Commons
Geology of mankind
A safe operating space for humanity
Global Warming of 1.5°C
Framing as a Bridging Concept for Climate Change Communication
The laureate as public intellectual
Welcome to the White (M)Anthropocene
The Politics of the Earth
Transition to Modernity
Apocalyptic Authoritarianism
Why it Matters How We Frame the Environment
The Climate Change Challenge and the Failure of Democracy
Ecological economics in 2049
Global democracy and earth system governance
The effects of communicating climate change threat
Media(ted) Discourse and Society
Introducing the Anthropocene
Charting a Discursive Field
Theorizing Race and Gender in the Anthropocene
Anthropocene angst
Authority in the Twentieth Century
Unfree Radicals
Framing
The geology of mankind? A critique of the Anthropocene narrative
Anthropocene Time
Political conservatism as motivated social cognition
The coming of environmental authoritarianism
The trajectory of the Anthropocene
Necropolitics
Framing Processes and Social Movements
The News Media, the Problem Frame, and the Production of Fear
| Unique citing works | 1 |
|---|---|
| Citations per year | 1 |
| Citation span | 2026 - 2026 (1) |
| Citation velocity | current |
| Highly cited | No |
| Citation types | Neutral: 1 |