Press release by the Stop Climate Chaos Cymru coalition
Ifor ap Glyn, the National Poet of Wales has written a special poem for the Stop Climate Chaos Cymru coalition’s #ShowTheLove campaign.
The poem discusses the recent trend of people denying and disregarding that climate change is happening. With individuals like Donald trump denying the existence of climate change publicly, this period is very turbulent when considering the fight against climate change.
The poem encourages people to challenge the leaders and the people who are denying that climate change is happening, to secure a fairer future for the generations to come.
#ShowTheLove campaign encourages people to show the love for all the places and things they appreciate, and want to protect from the climate change effect, as well as encouraging people to share the message by joining Thunderclap, and to spread the message by taking part in local events and activities.
Haf Elgar, chair of the coalition said:
“Climate change will affect places and things we love, and we’re sending a strong and united message that for the love of Wales and the planet we must protect future generations and urgently reduce our climate-changing emissions.
It’s fantastic to have the National Poet of Wales Ifor ap Glyn on board to spread the message that the science is clear, it’s happening now and we must speak up and act on climate change, in Wales and across the world.”
The National Poet of Wales is a cultural ambassador, and the role is honoured to the nation's most innovative and respected authors. The scheme is administered by Literature Wales.
Lleucu Siencyn, Chair of Literature Wales said: “We’re extremely pleased that Ifor ap Glyn, in his capacity as the National Poet of Wales, has been given the opportunity to contribute creatively to a campaign which raises awareness about some of our nation’s biggest concerns, and calls on the people of Wales to arm ourselves with facts.”
Taeru dŵr yn rhew
And should we put our trust in those,
Who’ll swear with all their might,
That ‘water’ really, still is ‘ice’,
That ‘black’ is really ‘white’?
Who’ll swear the smoke back into coal,
Like in a fairy tale?
And anyone who contradicts?
That’s ‘fake news’ without fail!
It’s totalitarian wisdom,
Like the ‘thirties with new looks;
‘Cos surely, shutting down the web,
Is just like burning books?
The lesson for the rich is this:
Our world is not a game,
To hand it unbankrupted to
Our children is the aim.
And we are not the president’s men,
Our truth should hold no fear,
Let’s stand firm, for our unborn kids,
The way ahead is clear:
Whate’er the source of their ‘fake news’,
The White House or Whitehall-
We must deny that water’s ice,
That black’s not white at all…
ENDS