Dear Human, Poetry Might Save Us from the Apocalypse
How verse may move us when data doesn’t The post Dear Human, Poetry Might Save Us from the Apocalypse appeared first on Nautilus .
When humanity faces the collapse, it might remind us of birds learning to move as one, growing lighter and lengthening their wings. "Dear Human at the Edge of Time: A Community Poem," a 2023 publication by Poets for Science, offers a devastating yet hopeful perspective. The Fifth National Climate Assessment highlighted the devastating effects of climate change across every region of the United States.
In the three years since the poem's publication, the need for collective survival has become increasingly urgent. However, the dire climate change data have yet to make an impact on humanity. Could art and poetry dedicated to conservation themes ignite a greater feeling of urgency and map a way forward? Poets for Science, founded during the turmoil of the first Trump administration, aims to unite poets and scientists to make conservation science both visceral and intellectually understandable.
They invite the public to participate through verse or creative work. This organization is set to hold its first in-person gathering, where scientists and poets will explore connections between their disciplines and ways to inspire the civic imagination. Poets for Science co-founder David Hassler believes that poetry can highlight natural metaphors in science, such as mycelial networks in soil, which communicate with trees.
He suggests that poetry can help integrate facts with feelings, making scientific learning meaningful in our lives and emotions.
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