This article argues that geographers must study the power of words as integral parts of human–environment relationships, with particular attention to local meanings, to intervene more effectively in the Anthropocene. Words are important tools by which people come to understand environmental changes and develop plans to facilitate mitigation and adaptation or, alternatively, to postpone these responses. This project considers the portion of Texas underlain by the Ogallala aquifer as a system of communication, exploring stakeholder articulations through in-depth interviews. The semiotic concepts of gradients, grading, degradation, and grace are employed to facilitate consideration of how verbal articulations intersect with resource use, conservation, anthropogenic environmental change, and action within a highly conservative political context.

本文认为，地理学家必须研究文字的力量，将其作为人类与环境关系的组成部分，尤其要注意局部意义，以更有效地干预人类世。言语是人们了解环境变化并制定计划以促进缓解和适应或推迟这些响应的重要工具。该项目将Ogallala含水层在得克萨斯州的一部分视为一种交流系统，通过深入的访谈来探索利益相关者的表述。梯度，等级，退化和宽限度的符号学概念被用来促进语言表达与资源使用，保护，人为环境变化以及在高度保守的政治背景下的行为如何相交的考虑。