This talk covered a range of contemporary topics, and made a connection to the very current and pressing issue of climate change, through the power of literature. The speaker related themes of catastrophe and world change in Alice in Wonderland to the post natural world that we exist in today. However, the speaker did seem to emphasize this point, about how there seemed to be no point of return, and cast a dark light on the current state of the environment. While this may be the case in some areas of the world, the awareness and action surrounding global warming has never been higher, and as a result, there is reasonable evidence to believe that we are not in what the speaker referred to as a “environmental holocaust.”
In higher levels of education, and even into some levels of government, climate change awareness is making its way into the heads of people in power, and it is something that many people have found that they cannot ignore. Up until very recently, climate change was billed as a ‘hoax’, and was dismissed as the natural pattern of the world’s climate. Science on this issue was so poor and underfunded, and while urbanization was not at the level it is today, the consciousness of the environment was something that did not even register with many people. While concept of ‘affirmative sabotage’ was introduced to us during the talk, this process has been going on for quite some time, and the public opinion is been able to shift for quite some time now.
In addition, the term ‘post natural aftermath’ is a term that is something that is not true, and not something that can be said as a generality. As the United States was growing in size, and more and more people were flocking to the cities to find work, the government realized this and instituted national parks. These parks cannot be developed on, and to this day exist to remind people of the country’s natural beauty. Natural wonders like these exist not just in America but all over the world, and people everywhere can find a secluded spot, away from the hustle and bustle of urban life to enjoy a natural refuge. Not only are areas of land being preserved, but also efforts to restore areas are constantly being administered.
The speaker mentioned in his talk that there is a train of thought that hopes a new world will be built on the wreckage of the old one. This statement implies that currently our natural world is at a point of no return, hence the use of the word ‘wreckage’ which is a great oversimplification of the world’s current state.