So much, so widely has been written about global warming and the climate crisis arising out of it, that now this has caught the nerves of creative minds such as writers and poets who have actively joined the bandwagon of environmentalists now.
In such a campaign, which is not only unabated but getting intense every day, Shanta Acharya chased her thoughts on the subject and has written down a copy-full of poems to stir popular thoughts and she gives it the title “Greening The Earth”.
Lines from her poem:
“Grant us the wisdom to pray—
strive to set right the injustices we perpetuate,
courage to change the things that must be changed,
else there will be nothing left to live for”
Environment news updates in India to stir your thoughts towards climate change.
We have so many literary works to fall upon which have surfaced in recent times, with the common theme of ecology, climate change and environmental activism, to the sanely insane extent.
Finally, in short, this is the birth of a new genre called Eco-poetry which addresses the degradation of the environment and human activities leading to this as our gross negligence is chiefly blamed for this.
About this, James Engelhardt, a poet based in Alaska remarks that such a thoughtful connection calls for responsibility.
Looking beyond this also gives rise to the question of ethics as climate urgency has got us here.
Ms Nishi Chawla is a writer and an academician who has been the joint editor of “Greening The Earth” which Penguin India has published.
She remarks, ”While a few poems in our anthology offer a perspective on how humans can respond to the reality of extinction, others give us an awareness of how we can strive to keep what we still have”.
Ecopoetry Or Nature Poetry: Do They Reflect The Similar Sentiments?
Romantics spearheaded “nature poetry” and it hails the beauty of nature as well as its versatility for it can undergo change for good reasons while ecopoetry as is common has a different approach altogether.
Environment news updates in India to think and act positively for a secure climate.
Satchinanandan observes, “Nature has always been a presence in poetry as a theme, a context for narratives or an inexhaustible source of similes, images and metaphors. But in today’s poetry, it has attained a new significance as humans have begun to realise — or else they need to — that the survival of their very species depends on the survival of other beings, plants included. The Anthropocene, the age of human supremacy, has ended and we have entered the symbiocene, an age of coexistence and mutual dependence”.
Drastic Policy Change For Climate: Environment news updates in India:
Till now, dear reader we see a great impact of ecopoetry as the policy shift has been taking place.
Senior diplomat Mr Abhay Kumar, who happens to be a poet too, recently penned down “Earth Anthem” and UNO played it last year when the 50th anniversary of Earth Day was observed.
In the meantime, the Council of Energy, Environment and Water, which is often regarded as the climate think factory, has roped in eminent poets, like Priya Malik and Amandeep Singh to organize a project titled “Love In The Times Of Climate Change”.
The inherent objective is to elaborate on the aspects associated with climate crises which are otherwise complex and in order to nudge the public to contribute their bit towards making the environment safe.
Tabish Nawaz: Audacious In The Fight Against Climate Change:
He works at IIT Bombay, in the capacity of assistant professor of Environmental Sciences and thinks poetry helps people in thinking deeper to the core.
Environment news updates in India to stand up for the climate emergency.
He shares, “Much of the discussion on climate change has been confined within a certain jargon of global warming, greenhouse effect, carbon credits etc. Since ecopoetry particularises these elements in the form of narratives, we feel first-hand the impacts impact on the elements of nature,”
Contributing From India Since Ancient Times, Kalidasa As An Ecopoet:
Here we have some works like Meghaduta and Ritusamhara by Kalidasa and Mr Abhay translates such works into English language.
Environment news updates in India to make you see beyond.
He reveals, “Kalidasa emerges as an ecopoet of very high sensibility and empathy as he describes the plight of animals in different seasons in Ritusamhara and how animals come together to support each other despite their instincts”.
He includes,” Meghaduta also highlights the importance of flora and fauna, animate and inanimate, in our love-life, without which we would gradually become bio-robots obsessed with numbers and statistics, dealing with various kinds of growth rates, and living a dismal life on a planet marred by the loss of biodiversity and extreme climate events”.
Translations Turned Abhay Into A Poet: Environment News updates in India from Credible Sources:
Indian classics are so vast and diverse that when Abhay sat to translate these, he found such a variety of interesting things that he became a poet too.
Environment news updates in India to let you act swiftly for the climate crisis.
His poem title is “Monsoon” and is like a thick book rich in material depicting a poet-diplomat who is posted in Madagascar but in the rains, he is able to feel the heartbeats of his beloved in Kashmir valley.
The book also contains descriptions of some species which face extinction due to climate change and biodiversity degradation.
Sumana Roy: An Ecopoet: Environment News Updates in India:
Otherwise a scholar in plant studies, she penned a book “How I Became A Tree” and firmly maintains that eco-poetry is something which is fragmented in the world and is unplanned.
This is just an instant reaction from poets who deeply feel the stark reality as a result of climate change.
She opines, “The climate crisis is not a prompt that poets are writing to. Everyone is responding urgently to the unease they feel in their bodies and minds today. A hundred years ago, Rabindranath Tagore was writing about the loss of the natural world as he imagined. Kalidasa might have seen it many centuries ago”.
Environment news updates in India to motivate people to think about climate remedies.
Professor Nawaz extends support to scientists in tackling climate change and adds, “Science alone cannot solve the problem particularly when the solution itself entails making choices about how we live. Poetry or any other art can help us understand climate change in a relatable way, and more importantly, it can make us feel”.
It Will Be Cheaper To Buy Electric HGVs In UK And To Skip The Diesel Trucks
This recent research finding has sent a wave of awe and celebrations across the UK that most of the trucks would be powered by a battery (abandoning diesel) and such would be geared into operations in the coming months.
Element Energy is the body of experts which encouraged such a study to look for green alternatives to phase out diesel and Transport & Environment has taken up the cudgels in this fight and the findings simply replenish our souls.
The fact is that deliveries made by HGVs (heavy goods vehicles) would turn cost-efficient now, as we consider the purchase price and maintenance cost associated when the trucks will be electrified by the batteries.
In the best of the schemes, the manufacturers of the delivery trucks have already started the design of battery electric truck models and such would roll on the roads in the coming months.
Besides, such truck models will be at par with the required range and would satisfy certain operational needs too as are reflected in truck use cases in the UK.
Further, the research suggests the diligent efforts made to blur the need for public charge points on the road.
This is also because the usual truck trips are generally shorter in the UK than in the other European countries which is due to its dense development all around.
We have Mr Richard Hebditch, who is the director of Transport & Environment, (an effort just like us) and he poured in his thoughts, “The UK’s island geography and density mean lorries do relatively short journeys and the lion’s share of truck charging will happen in depots. Yes, we’ll need some public charging but we can make lots of progress now without the need for serried ranks of chargers at every motorway service station. The Government mustn’t miss the opportunity now to kick start the take-up of electric trucks.”
The researchers in the end expressed hope about achieving the target year of 2035 swiftly and the sales of diesel trucks would diminish by that time.
But then, no clear roadmap from the government is set and shared publicly. However, to press the accelerator on such a green drive, experts emphasize the following recommendations:
- ZEV (zero emission vehicle) mandates should be charted out.
- The supply chain should be altered in favour of battery electric trucks.
- Incentives on obtaining such vehicles.
- Support for private charging infrastructure.
- Introducing easy loans on low-interest rates to encourage truck charging systems in public areas.
- Major logistics hubs and warehouses to have public charging support.
- To discuss the weight and length of trucks so as to support its electric designs.
- Driver stops and their working hours to be reviewed.
UK Platform for Battery Electric Truckings, an advisory body of stakeholders, has approved the aforementioned recommendations.
Finally, Mr Richard endorses, “Our research shows that the UK’s phase-out dates for diesel trucks are very achievable, but the government has yet to set out a plan to make it happen. Key to this is early support for those making the switch to battery electric trucks. This will cost money in the short-term and the Treasury needs to get behind this to help unlock the benefits for the UK economy in the long-run.”
Well, dear reader, this is yet to be seen when India will have such electric-run trucks and we would phase out diesel vehicles completely.
