Bharat’s Pocket Scraps July 14
What I read last week
This set of scraps is not very cheerful…
Murder most foul: polluted Indian river given ‘living entity’ status but reported dead
After the Yamuna river, a tributary to the Ganges, was granted the accolade, it made sense for activists to tell police that somebody had killed it
Read Murder most foul: polluted Indian river given ‘living entity’ status but reported dead
I read a different article recently that talked about the British colonial decision to site New Delhi away from the Yamuna, and how that affected people’s perception and (mis)use of this river, sad. But, there is a revitalization plan, let’s see.
Black carbon is bringing about an environment crisis in the Himalayas – but is largely ignored
Progress in renewable energy development last year was impressive – in October, renewables overtook coal as the world’s largest source of power capacity, a milestone in the world’s ambition to phase out hydrocarbons.
An important reminder that most climate change pollutants are global, but this local/regional carbon black pollution hits the Himalayas hard.
Read Black carbon is bringing about an environment crisis in the Himalayas – but is largely ignored
Make Margaret Atwood Fiction Again
This interview is part of our Global Dystopias project. Learn more about it and become a member to receive our forthcoming Global Dystopias print issue edited by Junot Díaz.
Junot Diaz interviews Margaret Atwood, what else is there for me to say?!
Read Make Margaret Atwood Fiction Again
34 Books by Women of Color to Read This Year
This list began with a mistake. I’d started collecting the titles of intriguing 2017 books: to read them, of course, but also because I hoped to review more prose in 2017.
Good list, heavy especially in East Asian authors, who I don’t often read.
Read 34 Books by Women of Color to Read This Year
Bluebirds, babies, and orgasms: the women scientists who fought Darwinism’s sexist myths
Early in her career, Gowaty studied bluebirds and noticed that females—counter to popular wisdom that stated they were sexually passive and monogamous—were travelling considerable distances to mate with other males. “Females will get up in the middle of the night and fly a mile away,” she laughed. But when she informed her male colleagues, they refused to accept it.
Science is full of these stories of women scientists first being barred from universities, then ignored, then mansplained and appropriated. Things are a little better today in North America, but still a long way to go.
Read Bluebirds, babies, and orgasms: the women scientists who fought Darwinism’s sexist myths
When Will The Planet Be Too Hot For Humans? Much, Much Sooner Than You Imagine.
Peering beyond scientific reticence. It is, I promise, worse than you think. If your anxiety about global warming is dominated by fears of sea-level rise, you are barely scratching the surface of what terrors are possible, even within the lifetime of a teenager today.
This David Wallace-Wells article is getting a whole lot of pushback for being inaccurately alarmist, for encouraging despair, etc. I’ve read more articles criticizing/defending this article, for example, this David Roberts article on Vox. But, you should read the original too!
Read When Will The Planet Be Too Hot For Humans? Much, Much Sooner Than You Imagine.
The Rise Of The Right
On the final episode of the season, the Commons team digs into the rise of the fringe right in Canada. Journalist Evan Balgord has been covering organizations like the Proud Boys, Soldiers of Odin, and the Three Percenters for the better part of the past year.
Think Canada is a shining land of no racism and plentiful moose, well, one of these is true. This podcast terrified me, take a listen.
Environmental defenders being killed in record numbers globally, new research reveals
Exclusive Activists, wildlife rangers and indigenous leaders are dying violently at the rate of about four a week, with a growing sense around the world that ‘anyone can kill environmental defenders without repercussions’.
I leave you with this piece of awful news, and a reminder that while these killings go unpunished, many of these companies are headquartered in Canada and the US. Consider supporting groups like the Council of Canadians or Mining Justice alliance to apply local pressure.
Read Environmental defenders being killed in record numbers globally, new research reveals