A Hopeless Ethic? Queer Negativity, the Anthropocene, and Apocalypse

Before the concept of the Anthropocene was even proposed, environmental scientists, activists, and ethicists (among others) have poured a great deal of attention to exploring how to undo the harms humans have done to the earth. What is presupposed in this hopeful pursuit?  Are there limits to and/or consequences of it? And are there different ways of thinking environmental ethics? This paper explores these questions, turning to both queer theories of negativity and contemporary eco-theologies as a resource. Building on Christian ethicist Kyle Lambelet’s proposal for apocalypse as a spiritual practice, this paper explores what the antisocial turn in queer theory might offer and considers eco-theological corollaries. In doing so, it explores what it might mean not to try to save the planet, but rather to critically examine and ethically undo our malformed relation to it.