Jem Bendell lists three stages in developing what he calls “deep adaptation” in response to climate change. The first is “relinquishment” – what others might term “acceptance and grief.” Indeed, the phrase “climate grief” is showing up more and more: that is, a sense of bereavement and sadness over the changes that have already happened in the more-than-human world (diminishing number of elephants or some bird species, for instance), not to mention the big changes to the human world that appear to be on their way.
If we are clear-eyed about it, though, we are grieving for the end of the world as we know it (and we don’t feel fine). Life is poised to become much more difficult, more crowded, hungrier, thirstier, sicker, hotter, and much more expensive, esp. for the poor. As Isabelle Stegners says, the issue is not avoiding catastrophic climate disruption – we can’t do that any ore. The issue is whether or not societies descend into barbarism – and thence to despotisms of various kinds. Indeed, that’s happening now, in much of the global south. Who’s mourning for the people in the Ganges delta who are already being displaced? Other than those people themselves? I’m not good at mourning. It took me about thirty-some years to cry after my mother died. And I guess the nature and extent of the losses to the earth are not concrete enough or near enough to me for me to really feel torn up emotionally. Or I’m so used to thinking about and looking at them that the shock factor has worn off. It’s more like a seeping melancholy or malaise. Over ash trees and white pines and elephants. For seasons. For predictability. I’d like to think some of that gets into my writing related to climate catastrophe, along with the fear and anger. Are there poems, novels, plays that have helped you grieve for species other than your own? Or helped you grieve for the loss of the foreseeable future? Or indeed, for anything or anybody? If so, please share in the comments!
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June 2021
Kristin Prevallet Author/Editor
I'm a writer & teacher in Lawrence, Kansas who actually believes the scientists. I wrote a book of poems called Of Some Sky that seems to have something to do with all this. |