This dissertation examines contemporary literature from South Asia and Eastern Africa to explore how narratives of war and climate crisis reshape our understanding of survival, care, and belonging. Introducing the concept of the catastrophopic, it argues that Global South literature offers powerful frameworks for ecological responsibility and collective world-making.

This research investigates how freshwater organisms respond to climate extremes such as warming rivers and drought. Using field surveys, experiments, and modelling, it examines whether species can adapt to higher temperatures and what costs that adaptation may carry. Understanding these limits is crucial for protecting ecosystems, water security, and biodiversity.