Language and Ecological Crises

It's too big, too far away, too vague and distant. Of course, these descriptors of what's (for lack of better words?) referred to as the climate and ecological crises, only reflect reality for those who are not experiencing their effects on our bodies, communities or livelihood.

These crises are, however, huge and all-encompassing, caused by inequality, oppression, racism and made worse by all of the above. Perhaps this is why some of us struggle to find the right words to talk about our own place as humans, in particular eco-systems and in vast ecological time.

In this list you'll find some bold, broad-scope books in search of the words to unlock ecological relationships. Some of these authors write from collective experiences of oppression which are tightly linked to linguistic as well as environmental destruction. The words we use to describe ecology matter, just as languages form their own ecology.

You can catch two of these authors - David Farrier and Andri Snaer Magnason - in conversation HERE.