Q&A With ‘When the birds came back’ author Seth Robinson
If you were at the launch for Earth Cries last Friday, then you would have heard Sydney University student Seth Robinson read an excerpt from his piece 'When the birds came back'.
The Weight of Inevitability
What does it mean for something to be ‘inevitable’? We know that the sun will rise each day and set each night (until millions of years from now when it inevitably doesn’t). We know that if you’re working in a group project, there’ll inevitably be someone who doesn’t pull their weight. We know that scientists are making predictions that sea ice will retreat to a small fringe by 2040, polar bear populations will decline by more than 30% in the next 35-40 years, and our world’s temperature will increase by more than 2° Celsius.
The Rise of ‘Cli-fi’
It feels like we are on the precipice of an apocalypse. In 2018, global carbon emissions hit a record high as energy demand and coal usage increased according to the International Energy Agency. Some species the seemed abundant in coral reefs may actually be going extinct as a result of reproductive failure. It is estimated that within two generations, rising sea levels could displace millions of people. In times of strife, we turn to media that reflects our reality; as demonstrated by the sudden explosion in book sales during the mid-year COVID-19 lockdown. In saying that, what kind of genre should you read next? Dystopia? Post-apocalypse? How about something a little different.
National Tree Day
In almost every natural environment, trees play an important role in perpetuating life; providing shade, food, fuel, shelter to name a few. However, they are a slow growing species and what can take years to mature, can be destroyed in a very short space of time.
Hindi/English Indian
Excerpt from Hindi/English Indian by Rhea L Nath, Student Anthology Diversity 2019. twenty-one years I have lived in this country, still I take a minute to read the signs: ‘Saav-dhan, aa-ge an-dha mod hai’ ‘drive ... slow’ this dumb mind translates...
COVID-19 in the Fight Against Plastic Waste
In all of the uncertainty that hovers in the foreground of our current social, economic and environmental climates, there is one thing that is certain; our world is changed, and the ramifications of such change are going to be significant.
Moonlight Motel
Excerpt from Moonlight Motel by Ivy Waters, Student Anthology Diversity 2019. Raphael leant out of the bed, coming perilously close to tipping over before he managed to grasp his coat off the floor and tilt back. The sudden shift in balance made him fall back onto Adam, who opened his eyes and laughed. Grinning, Raphael pulled a flask out of an inside pocket and threw the coat back across the room with an air of triumph. Uncapping it with one thumb, he took a sip before offering it to Adam...
FEAR OR HOPE? ENCOURAGING ENVIRONMENTALLY FRIENDLY BEHAVIOUR
The words ‘climate change’ often come with a sense of foreboding, an impending sense of doom that motivates us to...
Fun-Sized Diversity
Excerpt from Fun-Sized Diversity by Mohammad Awad, Student Anthology Diversity 2019. You are much like your cultural dishes; you have no taste. You prefer me to my cousins. Because when I speak I don't have the accent...
World Environment Day: Our Efforts to Protect Biodiversity
Biodiversity is this year’s theme for World Environment Day. On 5 June, international governments, businesses and individuals around the world...
