Climate Fiction and the Potential for Change

I chose to write my special topics paper on the increasingly popular genre of climate fiction, also referred to as cli-fi. Maybe more aptly described as a subgenre of science fiction, cli-fi novels revolve around environmental disaster and climate change brought about specifically by human activity. The acknowledgement of the anthropogenic cause of climate change is key to these novels and what set them apart from other dystopias or disaster fiction. Cli-fi books know that humans caused the environmental destruction of planet earth directly. Generally, these novels begin when the damage is already well and truly done, with a dystopian or pre/post-apocalyptic earth taking center stage in the narrative. There's no preventing the catastrophe of climate change in cli-fi novels. Instead, the protagonists must cope with their changed planet and learn to live differently, sometimes there's hope in the sense of solving problems or lessening the impact, but the majority have a decidedly bleak and dark tone.

Some critics and researchers wonder if cli-fi novels can help provoke change with our real-world climate crisis. The power of stories and personalizing narratives is well-researched and often more important than facts when convincing people. Thus, despite being fictional, the stories of cli-fi novels may feel like plausible enough futures to spur some to action or, at the very least, awareness. Additionally, cli-fi novels seem to be generating more conversations amongst family and friends about climate change. There is little better way to bring awareness to issues than by discussing them and cli-fi novels may be an important avenue for these discussions that feels easier and less "politicized." 

Climate fiction isn't going to solve global climate change. But it has the potential to do something to help against the seemingly inexorable tide of disaster and that makes it important. Stories and books are powerful tools for social change and they can help spread awareness and knowledge, even when fictional. Hopefully we're not too late to avoid the apocalyptic visions of the future in books like The Windup Girl or Parable of the Sower.