IN WHAT WAY DOES THE DEPICION OF TREES IN IMAGIST POEMS HELP US TO FACE CLIMATE ISSUES TODAY?

Lizzie Caird (OHS)

With the possibility of global temperature increases of up to 4.5°C, our planet is faced with a series of existential climate issues. To understand the significance of trees in our landscapes, the snapshots created by imagist poets, including H.D. (1886-1961) and William Carlos Williams (1883-1963), explore trees from a variety of aspects, conveying the prominence of these incredible plants on Earth. H.D’s Oread is a metaphorical juxtaposition of the complex landscapes of ocean and forest that rely on each other to function. The alliteration of ‘pointed pines’ emphasises the importance of trees in supporting oceans. ‘Pools of fir’ remind us that trees can prevent rising sea levels, whilst the strength of ‘whirl’ and ‘hurl’ displays the protective power of nature. Today, Indonesia’s Demak District illustrates ‘your great pines on our rocks’ as mangrove forests have been introduced along 20km of coast to reverse 6km of submerged coastline. H.D conveys the relationship between trees and ocean providing a contemporary solution to one of the most impending climate issues. Oread is a passionate plea to ‘hurl your green over us’, thus H.D. beseeches trees to cover the world like the sea. H.D.’s longing for reforestation inspires us at a time when we are losing 8 million hectares of our precious forests every year.

William Carlos William’s Tree and Sky points us to the urgent need for carbon sinks to stabilise CO2 levels in Earth’s atmosphere. Although Williams’ ‘tree stands alone’, the Great Green Wall project in Africa’s Sahel region magnifies this concept in aiming to plant 11 million trees to prevent desertification, by reducing soil erosion through interception, and acting as an 8,000km long carbon sink. His tree is ‘half-broken’, emphasising the vulnerability of trees, mirrored with the threats of the present day. Although the sky is ‘among the shufflings/of the distant/cloud-rifts’, there are delicate connections between trees, the atmosphere and, consequently, weather patterns and temperatures. The personal sense that this unremarkable, ‘already-writtenof’ tree, can help the sky be so blue, ‘vaporously’ or effortlessly is particularly powerful. The final simplicity of describing ‘the unmoving/blue’, reminds us how much trees impact the nature of our planet’s atmosphere. H.D.’s passion in Sheltered Garden suggests the possible consequences of human interference with nature. The desperation of ‘I have had enough’ resonates with today’s climate emergency. H.D. compares the garden’s ‘border on border of scented pinks’ with the ‘wind-tortured place’ that feels alive and naturally beautiful and draws a parallel theme of ‘beauty without strength’ between the softness of the garden and the urbanisation of our planet which has caused serious environmental issues. One can be reminded of the magic created by the ‘sharp swish of a branch’ or ‘taste of bark’, the wonder of wild trees. The possible consequences of climate change are outlined with ‘half-trees, torn, twisted/but showing the fight was valiant’, encapsulating today’s desperation to save our planet and the power of what we face. H.D. laments ‘O to blot out this garden/to forget’, mirroring the hope that we could reverse the damage, though it is possible that we have passed too many tipping points. Thus, the detailed description of trees in these imagist poems highlights the importance of trees, reflecting the solutions to climate change and helping us to face the current issues with hope and a wider understanding.

Bibliography

∙Williams, W.C. (1933). Poetry Magazine, Volume XLIII, Number I (https://www.poetryfoundation.org/ poetrymagazine/browse?contentId=20221) ∙Doolittle, H. (1916). Sea Garden. London: Constable ∙Doolittle, H (1914). BLAST Magazine ∙Royal Geographical Society, Geographical Magazine May 2020 ∙greatgreenwall.org [online] Available from: https:// www.greatgreenwall.org/about-great-green-wall [Accessed on 4 September 2020] ∙poetryfoundation.org [online] Available from: https:// www.poetryfoundation.org/ [Accessed on 4 September 2020]

Image Sources

[1] Pictorial Press Ltd./Alamy Stock Photo on Poetry Foundation

[2] Royal Geographical Society, Geographical Magazine May 2020 [3] Great Green Wall

SOWING THE SEEDS OF SUCCESS: HOW IS THE GREAT GREEN WALL INITIATIVE BENEFITING WOMEN?

Leila Branfoot (OHS)

In the community garden outside Widou village, Senegal, the women of the traditionally nomadic Peuhl tribe talk and laugh together as they tend tree saplings and a variety of produce, from cabbages to watermelons. Some they eat themselves, a blessing given the 30-mile trek they formerly had to reach the nearest market, whilst the surplus is sold, creating dividends for the women’s hard work.

The transformation of these Senegalese women’s lives is a consequence of the Great Green Wall initiative. Launched in 2007 by the African Union, this ambitious project aims to restore fertility to 100 million hectares35 of the semi-arid Sahel region by planting trees along an 8000 kilometre long stretch of land degraded by climate change-driven desertification. By 2020 in Senegal alone, 11.4 million trees had been planted and 25 000 hectares of degraded land rejuvenated36 . Yet the Great Green Wall is not only environmentally transformative but is a powerful symbol of hope for women of the Sahel, long deprived of education and opportunity. The initiative aims to provide 10 million jobs37 within small-scale projects, offering economic security for the region’s women. Many are employed planting trees whose products can be harvested and sold: arabic gum from the acacia is commonly used in food and pharmaceuticals. Community gardens like in Widou present entrepreneurial opportunity through the sale of fruit and vegetables at markets, and profit made often supplies women with microfinance loans to fund other business ventures, to be repaid over five months with an interest rate of 10%.38

The Great Green Wall is improving food and water security for Sahelian communities through enhanced soil fertility and water retention. Women and girls now have more time and domestic stability to receive an education or run a successful business, rather than walking for hours each day to collect scarce water. In turn, higher levels of education amongst women equates to greater environmental awareness and understanding of the benefits of planting trees, leading to more widespread commitment to the project, as attested by Davies: “While it would be risky to blame environmental degradation solely on poverty, it nevertheless seems plausible that investing in female literacy and other aspects of human development could contribute to mitigating environmental degradation.”39 But arguably the most significant impact of the Great Green Wall is how it has given communities a common purpose and empowered women. Now on the front line in the fight against climate change, women’s social status is enhanced, taking a positive step to improve gender equity in the Sahel. Although the Great Green Wall remains a long way from completion - just 15% of the wall has been planted40 - and lack of investment, corruption and conflict continue to impede it, the African Union’s initiative has undeniably been a game-changer for women.

As the Senegalese women sing while they nurture their gardens: “We don’t need to ask anyone for anything now that we have the Great Green Wall. It will lead us, we won’t be afraid - we will be full of courage.”

BBC News World Service, Africa’s Great Green Wall (podcast), https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/ w3cstxnf accessed 28 August 2020 Davies, J. (2017). Biodiversity and the Great Green Wall: managing nature for sustainable development in the Sahel. Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso: IUCN. DOI: 10.2305/IUCN.CH.2017.10.en accessed 27 August 2020.

The Guardian, Senegal begins planting the Great Green Wall against climate change, https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2012/ jul/12/senegal-great-green-wall#:~:text=Two%20 million%20trees%20are%20planted,with%20 animal%20manure%20for%20fertiliser.&text=It%20 produces%20Arabic%20gum%20used,can%20be%20 eaten%20by%20animals.%22 accessed 27 August 2020 Ndiaye, A. (2016). Practices of the Great Green Wall Project in the Ferlo (Senegal): Effects on Pastoral Resilience and Development. In World Journal of Social Science Vol. 3, No. 2, DOI:10.5430/wjss.v3n2p1 accessed 28 August 2020. The New Humanitarian, Backgrounder on the Sahel, West Africa’s Poorest Region, https://www.thenewhumanitarian.org/ feature/2008/06/02#:~:text=The%20population%20 is%20growing%20very,Burkina%20Faso%2C%20 Mali%20and%20Niger. accessed 27 August 2020 Time Magazine, Can a 4,815-Mile Wall of Trees Help Curb Climate Change in Africa?, https://time. com/5669033/great-green-wall-africa/ accessed 27 August 2020 United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification, The Great Green Wall Initiative, www.unccd.int/ actions/great-green-wall-initiative accessed 27 August 2020.

Images: Great Green Wall map - https://www.dandc.eu/ en/article/great-green-wall-across-africa-could-stopsahara-expanding-if-done-right, accessed 28 August 2020

Woman watering plants - https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/great-green-wall/ accessed 28 August 2020