This post will look at dystopia through a whole new fiction genre – CLiFi or Climate Fiction. CLiFi takes our real fears about climate change and fictionalizes them, trying to explore how rising sea levels, more volatile weather patterns, insufficient food stores, and climate immigration among other things will have on how the world is governed, how human beings cope, and what happens to life on earth, and the earth itself.
Here are some examples to start with:
Margaret Atwood’s Oryx and Crake where inequality, genetic manipulation and climate change all come together to create a world divided between those who live in safe, gated compounds, and those who live in polluted, overpopulated urban areas.
Kim Stanley Robinson ‘s Science in the Capital Trilogy looks at politics response to climate change, and includes a heavy dose of the science around climate change.
David Brin’s Earth covers a wide variety of climate crises, the serious rise of eco-terrorism and how people cope (or don’t) as they move from one volatile incident to another. Ultimately, the story reveals a black hole hidden in the earth’s core, and attention focuses on addressing it, an ending I found unsatisfying, as it moved my focus away from human’s impact on the planet to something else.
Richard Power’s The Overstory which integrates the lives of trees with the lives of humans to reveal the destructive impact of humans on forests. It is in turns both dark and optimistic about the future.
A lot of CliFi looks into the more immediate future, as opposed to long term, to help us make better decisions about how we live our life on earth. It takes humans as we are, and works through them, as opposed to other future dystopias which play with what humans might be or might become if we are not careful.
Is it my impression, or dystopian sotries, paticularly lately, very often include a discourse of envronment?
@JazzFeathers
The Old Shelter – The Great War
A lot of them do, since its on our minds. In truth, its hard to imagine a dystopia in which climate issues are not a part of it, simply because it makes life that much harder.
I need to read more of this genre. I think it is fascinating, and much needed. I have heard about Overstory before, it’s on my TBR.
Great theme! Happy A to Z!
The Multicolored Diary
I do to. Its a growing genre. Of those I cited, I read Oryx and Crake and Earth. I started the other two but found those harder to work my way through. Thanks for dropping by.
I’ve read Atwood’s book, but the others are new to me. I’m definitely adding these to my list, and I think I’ll start with The Overstory. I’m definitely a tree hugger, and I’m alternately hopeful and pessimistic on climate issues, so this seems right up my alley.
The Overstory is an interesting read, but a very long one. See pick it up when you have time on your hands.
Fascinating. I love the dystopian genre and CliFi is popping up more and more. Atwood is a master at it.
Visiting from A to Z
Blogging at Transformed Nonconformist
Thanks for dropping by. Given the state of the world, the rise of CliFi seems inevitable.
I’m sure it’s terrifying to read, even fictionalized. There are so many people not taking climate change seriously. 🙁
Stopping by from A to Z!
– Jayden Vincente
Erotic fiction author
https://jrvincente.com/a-to-z-2021/