This will be my submission to the Cropper Foundation's call for submissions for their anthology on the topic of climate change and climate justice.
Writing for our lives and climate justice. The first thing that I noticed is that the first letters of the words of the phrase "writing for our lives" can form the word wolf and then also fowl. Which had me thinking, "Who are the wolf and fowl in the climate justice story?" I asked my friend Gemini but he had no direct answer. I had to ask some related questions and “eat or be eaten” came to my mind. The wolf and the fowl are both valuable to nature and the balance of nature. Climate change comes about when we destroy the balance of nature. How can I make sense of all of this? Are the ones most affected by climate change the fowls? And the ones most contributing to climate change, the wolves? Are we the fowls in Trinidad and the Caribbean? Is the developed world the wolf? This also reminds me of something I saw on facebook just today, "Until the lion learns to write, every story will glorify the hunter." I could easily change this to fit my essay by saying, "Until the fowl learns to write, every story will glorify the wolf." We in the small island developing states must write. Write to tell our story. Write to be part of the solution. Write to make our voices be heard. Write to bring balance to what is being said. Write because our lives depend on this.
My friend Gemini tells me that climate change has a disproportionate impact on different countries and communities. Climate justice focuses on addressing these unequal impacts and creating a fair and sustainable future for everyone. What does a nooby book writer (as I like to call myself these days) living in a semi rural village in central Trinidad know about climate change and climate justice? The dry season has been drier than usual from what I could tell. The sun feels hotter than usual. Water schedules are an inconvenience. We had a shark attack in Tobago for the first time which some are blaming on global warming. The weather affects the farmers and the prices of produce. The coastlines are being eroded and sea levels are rising. Climate change affects the fish stock and habitat and the livelihood of fisher folk. Almost everyone uses air conditioning now which furthers the problem. Less outdoor activities means less active and healthy lifestyles. That is what comes to my mind but I feel like I do know enough but I feel empowered by this opportunity to write. It encourages me to pay attention and learn more and be part of the solution.
Justice is about righting our wrongs. For us and this anthology, justice is about writing our wrongs. It is about sharing how we feel, making our voices heard and being part of the solution. How do I feel? I feel like there are countries and entities that can afford to pay more for the action to curb climate change. They are large in number and have deep pockets. They are among the powerful decision makers. We need to help them see where their action also benefits them. Continuing my analogy from the beginning of this essay, if there are no fowls left to eat then the wolf will starve. Balance is key to addressing the climate change problems. Balance just like the scales of justice. The actions of some are tantamount to the wolf eating too much. Let there be justice. We want no fowl play. A feast today may mean a famine tomorrow. Quite literally also. At first I saw the words wolf and fowl in the phrase, "writing for our lives". Now I am seeing the word flow. Creating a balance creates a beautiful flow. The wolf can howl at the moon while the fowl can crow at the rising sun. I hope the words of this island boy flows across the oceans and reaches the shores of change. I now imagine that flow becomes flowers. Instead of the doom and gloom of climate change let us bring about the boom and bloom of climate justice.
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