Tag Archives: floods

Day 27 — soft denial + shrinking rivers

As I wrote yesterday, climate denial is growing more sophisticated as the science is becoming more & more accepted. Inactivists are changing their modus operandi from outright denial to more subtle tactics — downplaying — deflecting — dividing — delaying — & despair-mongering. The poem I was playing with yesterday has, as I predicted, fragmented into more manageable pieces. This poem is a result of that (& is the first in suite of poems about the above-mentioned topics).

The Poetic Factoid started with a fun pun (one of my favourites) but sadly went in a more sombre direction than I had intended following some research.

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the softening of denial

i.
even hard core : denial becomes unviable : when relentless evidence : piles up : of extreme weather events : daily impact them : via : headlines & news feeds : social media & tv screens : as well as real time : beyond the windows : in their : backyards & gardens : over the fence : down the road : next door : the next state : friends & family in other parts of the country : overseas : round the world : even the fates : of complete strangers : poorer : differently hued : cultured : begin : to impact 


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Day 27 — TIL about the shrinking Nile

more than an Egyptian river

60 feet 
60 feet every year 
so shrinks the delta shoreline  

50 percent
50 per cent over the current century
the standard deviation the flow likely to increase by

doubling the likelihood of flooding
doubling the likelihood of drought

increasing water scarcity
endangering food security

does that make it a zero-sum loss
or a double zero-sum gain

either way, won’t be long before we say
— De Nile was a river in Egypt 

Day 22 — The Ark

Inspired by a line of Warren Buffet’s when he was pretending to be the billionaire Green Messiah who would save us all.

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The Ark

let’s assume : just for a moment : that anthropomorphic climate change : is absolutely : fair dinkum : ’od’sblood : a serious thing : something : worth worrying about : & after all : the odds are looking : pretty good : or bad : depending on : your linguistic bent : that they are :: surely : if we’re going : to make a mistake : let’s err : on the side of caution : on the side : of the planet : of the only planet we have : y’know : just to be safe

to use a metaphor : that doesn’t entirely : hold water : but might be appealing : to more conservative minded : perusers of poetry : if you have : any common sense : you have to build : the ark :  before  : the rains come : no good : still hammering : it all together : even as : the flood waters : lap your thighs

but truthfully : we need : more than a single Ark : remember Noah’s : was built : not to hold : everyone : on earth : only the privileged : few

hmmmm : if only : there was something : big enough : that could : sustain : us : all