We have reached a point in the human experiment where it is impossible to see ourselves apart from what we once called nature. This has been true for a while, but it is becoming more and more obvious. The realization that humans are an inseparable part of the natural world (a powerful, often destructive part) has major implications for how we think about ourselves as members of an ecological community. Some folks call this era the Anthropocene, but this issue calls it the “Plastocene,” in one of two features exploring the human impact on the West.
Whether we’re furthering the spread of microplastics, or the spread of otters, our actions carry consequences. Just as a beaver dam is a part of the beaver’s being, and just as a hole in the ice is the sign of an otter’s passing, we humans are composed of the world we inhabit. There is no separating us from the place we live. How we deal with this reality is another matter, and entirely within our control. The world, in other words, is yet what we make it.
This article appeared in the print edition of the magazine with the headline Facing ecological realities.
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