Environmental satire in contemporary poetry: visual–verbal semiotics, ecological crisis, and public environmental awareness

Environmental degradation resulting from deforestation, land-use change, and recurrent flooding has increasingly entered the realm of cultural and literary expression. Contemporary poetry, particularly in the Global South, has emerged as a critical medium for articulating ecological anxiety and contesting dominant development narratives. This article examines recent scholarly discussions on environmental satire in contemporary poetry, focusing on how visual and verbal semiotic strategies are employed to construct ecological critique and foster public environmental awareness. Drawing on interdisciplinary literature from environmental humanities, semiotics, and environmental education, this review synthesizes studies that apply Roland Barthes’ visual–verbal semiotic framework, encompassing denotation, connotation, and myth. Special attention is given to poetic representations of flooding and deforestation in Indonesia, especially narratives related to forest conversion into palm oil plantations and their socio-ecological consequences. The review identifies three main thematic strands: poetry as a form of ecological resistance, satire as an instrument for exposing ideological myths of development and agroforestry, and the growing role of digital, visual-poetic forms in expanding ecological literacy. Despite growing interest in environmental literature, this review reveals persistent research gaps, including the limited engagement with visual semiotics in poetry studies and the marginal positioning of Southeast Asian ecological crises in global environmental discourse. Future research directions are proposed, emphasizing cross-disciplinary collaboration between environmental science and literary studies, as well as the potential of satirical poetry as a tool for environmental communication and policy critique. Environmental satire in poetry is important for raising critical ecological awareness in the context of contemporary environmental challenges.