The Impact of Climate Change on Human Lives in James Graham Ballard's The Drowned World

Omar Ayed Shaman Al.Qudah

doi:10.53103/cjlls.v5i4.225

Authors

Omar Ayed Shaman Al.Qudah University of Canberra, Australia

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.53103/cjlls.v5i4.225

Keywords:

Climate Change, James Graham Ballard, Climate Fiction, The Drowned World

Abstract

Climate fiction, also known as cli-fi, was coined by the American journalist Dan Bloom. It has gained popularity in the last decade due to the urgent and widespread discussion of climate change and has been explored in various literary forms. The present research aims to investigate the impact of climate change and global warming on human lives. To achieve this objective, the study employs a descriptive-analytical approach to examining the concept of climate change in The Drowned World. The analysis of the novel ultimately reveals that climate change has a profoundly negative impact on human life, painting a bleak picture of the world. Additionally, the book reflects a deep conflict between characters who believe in climate change and its catastrophic effects on our lives and those who deny its existence, revealing that the latter group has the upper hand. As shown in the novel, the primary cause of climate change is natural processes rather than human activities. Finally, the study concludes that nature can be more accurately characterised as a winner and humans as victims.

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