Commentary: Underestimating the Challenges of Avoiding a Ghastly Future

Bluwstein, Jevgeniy; Asiyanbi, Adeniyi P.; Dutta, Anwesha; Huff, Amber; Lund, Jens Friis; De Rosa, Salvatore Paolo; Steinberger, Julia (2021). Commentary: Underestimating the Challenges of Avoiding a Ghastly Future. Frontiers in conservation science, 2 Frontiers Media 10.3389/fcosc.2021.666910

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Bradshaw et al. (2021) make a call to action in light of three major crises—biodiversity loss, the sixth mass extinction, and climate disruption. We have no contention with Bradshaw et al.’s diagnosis of the severity of the crises. Yet, their call for scientists to “tell it like it is,” their appeal to political “leaders,” and the great attention they afford to human population growth as a main driver underpinning the three crises, rest on contested assumptions about the role of science in societal transformations, and are scientifically flawed and politically problematic. In this commentary, we challenge Bradshaw et al.’s assumptions concerning the nature of science, polity, and humanity as well as the implicit politics underlying their analysis and messaging. We end with an alternative call to action.

Item Type:

Journal Article (Further Contribution)

Division/Institute:

06 Faculty of Humanities > Department of Art and Cultural Studies > Institute of Social Anthropology

UniBE Contributor:

Bluwstein, Jevgeniy

Subjects:

300 Social sciences, sociology & anthropology
500 Science > 570 Life sciences; biology

ISSN:

2673-611X

Publisher:

Frontiers Media

Language:

English

Submitter:

Jevgeniy Bluwstein

Date Deposited:

06 Feb 2023 10:02

Last Modified:

06 Feb 2023 23:28

Publisher DOI:

10.3389/fcosc.2021.666910

BORIS DOI:

10.48350/177726

URI:

https://boris.unibe.ch/id/eprint/177726

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