A new book shows how stories help readers comprehend climate crises and prepare for the unimaginable

It begins with shoes. Rain shoes to be precise. The icy showers of northern latitudes call for high-quality gear which is not something we from the tropics usually prepare for while travelling. Such as a Rs 15,000 pair of waterproof shoes, with the label of a multinational, stitched in a South Asian sweatshop – beyond my means then, beyond my means now.

So I had to bear the frigid rains in my sodden Khadim sneakers while imagining the radiator warmth of my cosy little cabin which made strange creepy noises all through the night, like those in that old house from Poe’s memorable tale. After all, how much does a young activist from a developing nation like ours make? Not enough. Not enough at all to beat the frigid northern weather which, like a ruthless torturer, seemed to be getting worse over the days.

Those days at the turn of the century, climate change was still new, confined mainly to research labs and conference rooms of international organisations and NGOs like ours. The aam admi had not heard about it. Global warming was still niche, largely a matter of academic curiosity or denialist manoeuvres in the form of novels like Michael Crichton’s famous potboiler. The oil...

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