KOCHI: The Blue and Green Climate LitFest 2025, billed as India’s first literary and cultural platform dedicated to climate, ecology, and sustainability, will be held on December 17 and 18 in Kochi.
Organised by the Kerala University of Fisheries and Ocean Studies and Climate Action Today, with support from the Manipal Academy of Higher Education, the festival will bring together writers, scientists, journalists, policymakers, artists and activists to explore how stories and science can inspire environmental awareness and action.
As part of the event, two national honours — the Blue Book of the Year and Green Book of the Year — will be awarded to outstanding works published in 2024. Each award carries a citation and a cash prize, recognising books that deepen public understanding of ecological and climate issues.
A two-member jury for each category will select the winners, to be announced at the valedictory session on December 18. The shortlist for the Green Book of the Year includes The Search for India’s Rarest Birds (edited by Shashank Dalvi and Anita Mani, Juggernaut), a wide-ranging account of India’s elusive birdlife; The Cobra’s Gaze by Stephen Alter (Aleph), an evocative journey through India’s wild landscapes; and Iconic Trees of India: 75 Natural Wonders by S. Natesh (Roli Books), a richly illustrated tribute to the nation’s great trees.
In the Blue Book of the Year category, the shortlisted titles are Glass Bottom by Sonali Prasad (Pan Macmillan), a deeply reported narrative from the ocean’s depths; Backstage Climate by Rajan Mehta (Westland), which probes the science and politics of climate change; and Empires of the Sea by Radhika Seshan (Pan Macmillan), a sweeping history of the Indian Ocean world. The organisers said the shortlist emerged from nominations invited from major publishers nationwide.