I shared a quote on Facebook a few days ago, credited to Nakita Valerio, which read, "Shouting 'self-care' at people who actually need 'community care' is how we fail people." It resonated very deeply with me. When I watched a discussion on NDTV the other evening regarding the decision to cut some 2,000-odd trees from Aarey forest to house a Metro car shed, I felt anger at the apathy of the BJP member who was justifying the decision, arguing that 2,000 was a minimal number compared to how many trees there were in the forest, betraying a complete lack of understanding about how each tree encompasses an ecosystem; and how you cannot simply compensate for the cutting of one tree by planting another somewhere, because in doing so, you do not acknowledge the significance of bio-diversity.

A few days later, I felt hope when I saw that several hundred Mumbaikars turned up to protest the deforestation of Aarey. Many carried signs that spoke practically about how the move would drastically affect the airport, how the probability of floods would increase. On Wednesday the city actually did come to a standstill because it had been pouring continuously for hours, and the city's loathsome infrastructure once again crumbled; roads and streets and homes were flooded. Will this matter to the decision makers so intent on cutting those trees, so stubborn they are incapable of locating an alternate space for the Metro shed and keep mocking protestors for choosing nature over development, without recognising the inherent fallacy of such an argument.

Poll

Who will win the Punjab Elections?

BJP 32.76%

AAP 43.10%

INC 24.14%

Submit

View All In Poll

It has also been validating to finally read stories in print and digital media about the tenacious link between climate change deniers and misogyny, particularly a story in The New Republic, headlined, "The Misogyny of Climate Change Deniers", focusing on the mainstream trolling of the teen activist, Greta Thunberg and American politician and activist, Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez. The story, written by Martin Gelin, references a 2014 paper published by Jonas Anshelm and Martin Hultman, analysing the language of a focus group of climate skeptics, and its propounding of the term 'industrial breadwinner masculinity' to reference a specific package of values and behaviours.

Gelin cites a quote by Hultman, "They [those who manifest traits of industrial breadwinner masculinity] see the world as separated between humans and nature. They believe humans are obligated to use nature and its resources to make products out of them. And they have a risk perception that nature will tolerate all types of waste. It's a risk perception that doesn't think of nature as vulnerable and as something that is possible to be destroyed. For them, economic growth is more important than the environment."

I see this condition of industrial breadwinner masculinity as symptomatic of an acquired inability to listen. And so, to combat the easy proclivity towards despair, I have decided to learn how to listen better; to my self, to others, and to environmental ecosystems, and to modify my behaviour not because of what I project onto these entities but from what I am able to absorb from what is being vocalised. It's an exercise in humility. I'll let you know if it helps me sleep better at night.

Deliberating on the life and times of Everywoman, Rosalyn D'Mello is a reputable art critic and the author of A Handbook For My Lover. She tweets @RosaParx

Send your feedback to mailbag@mid-day.com

The views expressed in this column are the individual's and don't represent those of the paper

Catch up on all the latest Mumbai news, crime news, current affairs, and also a complete guide on Mumbai from food to things to do and events across the city here. Also download the new mid-day Android and iOS apps to get latest updates