Are Cities Islands of Ecological Hope? Book Review: Jon I. (2021) Cities in the Anthropocene: New Ecology and Urban Politics. London: Pluto Press

Abstract

The article reviews the book by the Australian sociologist Ihnji Jon “Cities in the Anthropocene: New Ecology and Urban Politics” (Ihnji Jon. Cities in the Anthropocene: New Ecology and Urban Politics. Pluto Press. 2021. 176 p. ISBN: 978-0745341491). The author proposes a new approach to the development of environmental policy based on the concept of the Anthropocene, which considers natural phenomena as actors of social relations, which in turn implies a different understanding and measurement of their consequences than traditional environmentalism. The researcher points out that taking into consideration the current ecological situation and the weak effectiveness of international efforts to preserve it, urbanized territories are real platforms for activating a new environmental policy that can demonstrate the role of “nature” in our everyday lives and contribute to the formation of eco-consciousness and eco-culture. Modern cities can be used to implement a new environmental policy as they are complex social systems, with the intensity of social interactions, complexity, unpredictability and uniqueness. To confirm her theoretical conclusions, Ihnji Jon gives some examples in her work that demonstrate the possibilities of her concept of a new urban ecological policy.