ARCTIC FUTURES
Tales of the late Anthropocene
An exploration of three fictional value systems to cope in a black swan future
The age after the fossil dragon
Deep under the eternal ice of the north, an ancient creature was sleeping at peace with the universe. But when the ice began to melt, a new race for hidden treasures started and inflicted tears, pain, death, and destruction. Humans were greedy. They wanted to harness the dragon’s precious powers and they dug, deeper and deeper.
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Disrupted by the noise and the itching of human tools, the fossil dragon* woke up, grumpy and confused. He carved his way to the surface and spewed. His smoky, sulphurous, and dusty breath made the sky turn black and the air became thick and heavy. Global warming went ice cold and the northern hemisphere was covered in snow again.
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*Fossil dragon – a frequently used metaphor to describe a period of massive extraction of fossil resources after the arctic thaw. This led to increased methane and carbon emissions, Some nations turned to geo engineering to mitigate the impacts, but a volcanic erruption multiplied the cooling effect of artificial sulfur dioxide. A human made cold period in the Holocene was the consequence. Known as the big fuck-up.
How to exist in a world gone rouge?
Get to know 3 archetypes representing 3 societal value systems, engrained beliefs and coping strategies.
What can we learn from
these worlds, today?
