Cirrus@Austlit

'Over a period of several months in 2020 most of us lived through a slowing and restriction of movements, unprecedented in global scale, as we complied with extreme ‘social distancing’ measures in response to the novel coronavirus pandemic. Some referred to this period as the Great Pause: empirically measured in the 17% drop in daily global CO₂ emissions from last year’s mean. How did we take its qualitative measure?' (Jonathan Skinner, Introduction)

'It is becoming increasingly clear that we all need to contribute to ensure the survival of our planet; new narratives are urgently called for. Ecopoetry has become a genre within which poets put up a searching and at times brutally honest lens through which to consider climate change, loss of biodiversity, the pollution of our air and water, and environmentally damaging industries such as mining and deforestation.

'Poetry for the Planet showcases the work of one hundred poets from Australia and New Zealand. Despite an astonishing variety in style, poems are united in their plea to all of us to forge a new relationship with our fractured world, and move from an attitude of short-term exploitation to one of nourishment and sustainability.'  (Publication summary)