Recording the Anthropocene

In a decade marked by job, manufacturing, and industry losses, North Carolina’s economic and environmental landscapes are undergoing dramatic transformations. The debate over the scale and regulation of these transformations has taken on a particular urgency since the introduction of these policies:

• NC Senate Bill 648 (2013), which proscribes efforts by concerned citizens to examine undercover the treatment of animals used for egg, dairy, and meat production;
• NC House Bill 298 (2013), which seeks to repeal or attenuate the state’s Renewable Energy & Energy Efficiencies Portfolio Standards (2007);
• NC Senate Bill 820 (2012), which authorizes hydraulic fracturing (fracking) to meet energy needs;
• and ratified NC House Bill 819 (2011), which claims governmental discretion over what constitutes the science of sea-level rise; 

Together with an exhibit that examines the geological and historical records of the Anthropocene, this collection of record albums casts light upon contentious legislation that impacts the environmental future of this state.

The manner in which North Carolina’s natural resources are harnessed and harvested makes the record of Anthropocene footprints indelible.