Which authors argue that the concept of the Anthropocene is not only scientific but also political, influencing responsibility and governance in environmental change?

• A. Goudie, A. The Human Impact on the Natural Environment
• B. Barry, Andrew, and Mark Maslin. The politics of the Anthropocene: a dialogue.
• C. Havlick, David G. Bombs away: Militarization, conservation, and ecological restoration
• D. Dryzek, J. S. The Politics of the Earth: environmental discourses

Answer: (B)

The Anthropocene challenge is that scientific labeling of a new epoch also carries political weight, shaping who is responsible for environmental change and how societies should govern it. Andrew Barry and Mark Maslin argue this directly in their dialogue, The politics of the Anthropocene: a dialogue, by exploring how the idea of a human-caused, planetary-scale era moves beyond science into policy, accountability, and governance. They show that naming a new epoch can influence international negotiations, responsibility for mitigation and adaptation, and the design of institutions and norms that manage Earth-system risks. This explicit focus on the intersection of scientific concept and political action is what makes their work the best fit for the question. Other works address environmental impacts, militarization, or environmental discourses, but they do not center the Anthropocene itself as a political project in the same way.