Ecological Gentrification in Response to Apocalyptic Narratives of Climate Change: The Production of an Immuno‐political Fantasy

Abstract

Anxieties over the potential impacts of climate change, often framed in apocalyptic language, are having a profound, but little studied effect on the contemporary Western urbanscape. This article examines the ways in which current theorizations of 'ecological gentrification' express only half the process, describing how green space is used for social control, but not how ecology is used as a justification regime for such projects. As urbanites seek out housing and living practices that have a lower environmental impact, urban planners have responded by providing large-scale regeneration of the urbanscape. With the demand for this housing increasing, questions of inequality, displacement and dispossession arise. I ask whether apocalyptic anxiety is being enrolled in the justification regimes of these projects to make them hard to resist at the planning and implementation stages. The article shows that, in capitalizing on collective anxiety surrounding an apocalyptic future, these projects depoliticize subjects by using the empty signifier, 'Sustainability', leading them into an immuno-political relationship to the urbanscape. This leaves subjects feeling protected from both responsibility for, and the impacts of, climate change. Ultimately, this has the consequence of gentrification coupled with potentially worsening consumptive practices, rebound effects and the depoliticization of the environmentally conscious urbanite.

Mercantilización de las Áreas Naturales Protegidas y Gentrificación verde metropolitana. El caso de la ciudad de Querétaro, México

“…Por el contrario, la incorporación de la sostenibilidad y la naturaleza en los discursos de planificación urbana, han permitido un nuevo giro en las estrategias de mercado dando la apariencia de estar actuando frente a la crisis ambiental, pero de base priorizando el crecimiento económico inmobiliario (Harper, 2019).…”

“…Bajo esta óptica las ANPs ubicadas en la periferia de las ciudades entran en una lógica de mercado al convertirse en mercancía de consumo en los nuevos desarrollos urbanos, detonando el crecimiento metropolitano en sus contornos y favoreciendo procesos de gentrificación verde en sus alrededores. La gentrificación verde se entiende como el potencial de los espacios verdes para (re) producir desigualdades socioespaciales, dentro de la ciudad o en espacios limítrofes entre urbe y campo, producidas por las agendas ambientales y el deseo de la clase media y alta de amenidades ambientales (Anguelovski et al, 2018;Harper, 2019;Wolch et al, 2014). Diversos estudios muestran que, al implementar estrategias ecológicas urbanas, por ejemplo, los parques, jardines públicos, infraestructura verde, corredores ecológicos o ANPs, estos lugares se vuelven atractivos para los grupos de mayor ingreso, generando con frecuencia la exclusión social y física de los residentes previos menos privilegiados (Anders y Gerda, 2009;Amorim et al, 2020).…”

Apocalyptic and Utopian Motivation for Change in Society

“…The apocalyptical narrative is strengthened not only in film, but also in the news media landscape. Evolutionary psychology tells us this is a natural phenomenon [4]. But does this also affect the minds of those creating societal change?…”

A Simplified Climate Change Model and Extreme Weather Model Based on a Machine Learning Method

“…The surface temperature of the sea https://www.esrl.noaa.gov/psd/data/gridded [28][29][30][31] Ice coating https://www.ecmwf.int/en/research/modellingand-prediction/marine [32][33][34] Monthly average long-wave radiation https://climatedataguide.ucar.edu/climatedata/outgoing-longwave-radiation-olr-hirs [14,35,36] Monthly average near-infrared beam downward sun flux https://climatedataguide.ucar.edu/climatedata/outgoing-longwave-radiation-olr-hirs [37,38] Average monthly precipitation https://www.esrl.noaa.gov/psd/cgi-bin/data/ getpage.pl [32,39] Monthly average evaporation rate https://www.esrl.noaa.gov/psd/data/gridded [27,[39][40][41][42][43] Earth surface wind speed https://www.esrl.noaa.gov/psd/data/gridded [6,43] Earth surface cloud amount https: //www.ecmwf.int/en/forecasts/datasets/set-i [44] Average temperature https://climate.weather.gc.ca [5,45,46] Relative humidity https: //www.ecmwf.int/en/forecasts/datasets/set-i [7,45] Total carbon dioxide emissions https://www.ecmwf.int/en/annual-report-2014/ developing-european-infrastructure [47] Soil moisture https://www.esrl.noaa.gov/psd/data/gridded [48,49] Land-sea mask https://www.esrl.noaa.gov/psd/data/gridded [38] Mean sea level pressure https://www.esrl.noaa.gov/psd/data/gridded [50] Snow density https: //www.ecmwf.int/en/forecasts/datasets/set-i [38] Total column ozone https: //www.ecmwf.int/en/forecasts/datasets/set-i [51] Cooling degree-days https://climatedataguide.ucar.edu/climatedata/outgoing-longwave-radiation-olr-hirs …”

“…Some scientific methods have already been adopted in climate change research. Research using a process-oriented approach reveals the ecological response to recent climate change [7]. It discussed the phenology and physiology of organisms, the range and distribution of species, the composition of the community, and the dynamic characteristics of ecosystems.…”