Representing Energy Residues in the Appalachian Anthropocene

Artists and critics have turned to the problem of rendering visible the energy systems that have shaped our contemporary ecological crisis as the new geological epoch known as the Anthropocene has become accepted in both scientific and humanistic discourses. Global symbols of fossil fuel consumption—ranging from coal-fired smokestacks and petrochemical plastics to melting glaciers—are intended to mobilize collective movement towards a more sustainable energy future. However, when generalized, these symbols capture only fragments of our energy history because they transcend local contexts. In this paper, I argue that the environmental impact of the coal industry in Appalachia is one such specific context not included in the symbolic discourse of the Anthropocene. In particular, I contend that the region’s coal sludge ponds offer us a striking symbol of the Anthropocene which communicates coal’s residual status in our present energy system. The literal residue of toxic waste will impact the Appalachian landscape well into the future, just as increased sea levels will impact coastal regions. Drawing from recent scholarship in the energy humanities, I look at how three cultural texts, each representing a particular cultural form, use coal sludge to make visible the Appalachian Anthropocene: Anne Pancake’s novel Strange as this Weather Has Been, the documentary The Last Mountain, and the photography of J Henry Fair. Through my analysis, I demonstrate that representations of Appalachia’s coal sludge ponds provide a valuable symbol for revealing the significance of specific, contextualized Anthropocenic images within the broader discourse of ecological crisis.