Gurugram: A five-foot globe made of discarded golf balls sits in the middle of Gurugram as a stark reminder of imminent global warming. And it will start melting when the city’s temperatures hit 53℃.
In his new ‘climate responsive’ art piece, climate activist and author Aakash Ranison has tried to capture the realities of rising global temperatures and their effects on the world. The result is ‘Below 2 Degrees’.
It has a simple goal – to push people to take action against global warming.
“I asked myself, what is the one message that needs to go out about the world? It is to keep the world’s warming 2 degrees below pre-industrial levels,” said Ranison at the unveiling event in Karma Lakelands, Gurugram. “I want anyone who walks by to understand how urgent the climate crisis is, and what we can do to stop it.”
The idea emerged when the team at Karma Lakelands, an expansive 270-acre ‘eco-golf’ resort, approached Ranison with a question – what to do with the discarded golf balls fished out of lakes and pools and odd places that just can’t be used anymore.
While golf courses around the world are infamous for their disproportionate use of resources, heavy carbon footprint, and excessive use of water, Karma Lakelands’ policy “is more sustainable”. They pride themselves on practices like water harvesting, using solar energy, and organic farming. Their 12-year-old resort is equipped with a gym, swimming pool, two restaurants, and a bar.
When Ranison, who had previously worked on art illustrations in Calicut and Rishikesh, heard of the golf balls, an idea sprang into his head. With the help of his Greener Foundation and students from Scottish High School, he designed the melting globe.
The figure is held together with a special wax, which is set to melt at the local equivalent of 2℃ above pre-industrial levels – a number calculated using models from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change. Affixed around the globe are small figures of critically endangered animals—tigers, leopards, Indian vultures and Siberian cranes–representing the biodiversity that’s affected by the growing climate crisis.
The art piece is effectively a ticking time bomb. When the wax melts, the globe will slowly disappear. The message couldn’t be clearer.
“I didn’t just want to make any art piece about the climate and call it climate art,” admits Ranison. “I wanted my work to actually connect with and respond to the changing climate, just like the world is responding to it.”
Response to ‘Below 2 Degrees’
This is the first climate-responsive piece by Ranison, who doesn’t call himself an artist. His job description includes the terms climate activist, author, and climate ‘optimist.’
The globe was opened to the public on 21 March, placed out in the open at the Lakelands resort in Gurugram. While ‘Below 2 Degrees’ seems scary and alarming to some, Ranison doesn’t see it from a negative lens.
“I’m working in the climate space because I’m happy, because I want to save nature. I haven’t lost anything, I’m not doing it out of anger or hate,” he said.
“This piece gives me hope because it cuts a clear goal for me and the world – to keep the world from warming any further.”
As to how the world is supposed to do that, Ranison has an answer. His book, I’m a Climate Optimist: An Easy Guide to Lead a Sustainable Life, gives tips on cutting down carbon footprint and being more environmentally friendly.
Ranison has an inclusive approach toward fighting climate change— Everyone has a role to play in global warming. Therefore, everyone, through small actions, can be a part of the solution.
The unveiling on 19 March was followed by a panel discussion with Diki Bhutia, Director of Environment Sustainability at Karma Lakelands, and Peepal Baba, an environmentalist who runs the Give Me Trees foundation.
“You can’t save the whole world – it’s much too difficult a task. But you can take care of the environment around you, right? Just be grounded where you are, and look after your own surroundings,” said Peepal Baba during the panel discussion.
“Trust me, these actions have more of an effect on the world than any international conference or treaty.”
(Edited by Zoya Bhatti)