Volume VI Special Issue II February 2026

Name of Author : Dr Priya Uthaiah. I

Title of the paper : Transformative Tenacity of Trees: A Bulwark against Environmental Exigency

Abstract: The Arrival of the Anthropocene has been the least alluring but the most appalling vis à vis its ecological repercussions. Anthropocentricity has indubitably been successful in the deployment of technological prowess to ostensibly rein in the elements of nature. But the domino effect of intrusive and inimical human engagement with nature has today pushed our planet to the doldrums of precarity. This paper shall focus on the theme of literature and environment. Offering a pragmatic panacea to the earth being smothered due to its deteriorating depletion of forests across continents, the novel The Overstory authored by Richard Powers shall serve as an apt frame of reference to dwell on the chosen theme. In exploring an alternative, sustainable future, the locus of focus shall be trees. The novels narrative is woven around the centrality of trees towards conserving our planet in the face of delirious development. The paper shall dwell on the pre eminence of reforestation as against the first casualty of all developmental projects that is deforestation. In probing the subject, the paper shall utilise theoretical concepts of ecocriticism, environmental ethics, deep ecology and posthumanism. Of the multitudinous ways in which we can contribute towards the safety of our planet, saving trees and increasing the green cover will be an armour against environmental Armageddon, providing critical resuscitation to the moribund earth.

Keywords : Environmental Armageddon, Reforestation, Environmental Ethics, Deep Ecology, Posthumanism.

DOI :

Page Number : 119-125