Amitav Ghosh: 'climate change is like death, no one wants to talk about it'

Speaking at a literary festival in Bhutan, the Indian novelist Amitav Ghosh recently predicted that Himalayan regions, for no fault of their own, will face a catastrophe as climate change takes hold. So chilling was Ghosh that the local paper reported – only half in jest – that a disturbed audience had to be soothed by a subsequent talk by Buddhist monks. Ghosh, best known for his historical novels, has been travelling the world talking about his new book, The Great Derangement: Climate Change and the Unthinkable, born out of a series of lectures at the University of Chicago. One of its central themes is that writers, artists and filmmakers, including himself, have largely ignored climate change – “he great derangement” of the title – simply because it seems too far-fetched and terrifying. But does it really make a difference if authors write about climate change? “Making a difference isn’t the point; the point is to examine the meaning of the arts. If we believe that the arts are meant to look ahead, open doors, then how is this huge issue of our time, absent from the arts? It’s like death, no one wants to talk about it,” Ghosh said. He is deeply critical of the global carbon-dependent economy, and believes we need to return to traditional methods of agriculture. He talks about the current drought in western India, partly caused by a shift to water-hungry crops, which has caused thousands of farmers to migrate to the cities. “The desires of people everywhere are now to do with carbon. That farmer in India, who once knew how to cultivate drought resistant crops like millet and barley, he is better equipped to dealing with climate change than your city dweller eating rice. Meanwhile, you and I are going to be dead in the water.” The book traces the paths to development taken by India, China and the west. Ghosh is a supporter of climate justice – which looks at the historical responsibilities of nations for climate change, and is quite clear that India and China deserve reparations for choosing more sustainable paths – India by choosing a spartan Gandhian model of development for years, China by choosing the one child policy, even at the cost of inflicting great suffering. Meanwhile, the west pursued a consumerist, carbon-intensive economy, unimpeded. He is also scathing about the Paris climate deal, which he calls “tepid” in its approach to climate justice, and leaves poor nations dependent on the charity of richer nations. But he is also critical of India’s current mulish stance on climate change: refusing to compromise on growth until climate reparations are made. Instead, he thinks India needs to do both. “It is pretty clear from the Paris agreement that climate justice is not going to happen. We need to keep that issue alive, work for it, but also work towards preventing a catastrophe. When the great wave comes, are you going to say, hey don’t take me, I am Indian?” In the book, Ghosh grimly predicts a “politics of the armed lifeboat” where the poor of the global south will be left to their doom while the rich go on unscathed. Nevertheless, he also wonders if the poor may well be more resilient. “In 2003, the European heatwave caused 46,000 deaths,” he muses. “When the power goes out in New York, there is a crime wave. When the power goes out in India, several times a day, no one even notices. It’s quite possible the middle class will be the most affected, and the really poor and rich will survive.” Worryingly, Ghosh has few solutions to offer. In the book, he hopes religious figures will get involved in climate change, governments having failed. “I am not sure there are solutions. The problem is of such a scale that we are dwarfed by it,” he said.