Climate fiction

Not to be confused with Climate change denial.
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Climate fiction (sometimes shortened to cli-fi) is literature that deals with climate change.[1] Generally speculative in nature but inspired by climate science, works of climate fiction may take place in the world as we know it, in the near future, or in fictional worlds experiencing climate change. The genre frequently includes science fiction and dystopian or utopian themes, imagining the potential futures based on how humanity responds to the impacts of climate change. Climate fiction typically involves anthropogenic climate change and other environmental issues as opposed to weather and disaster more generally. Technologies such as climate engineering or climate adaptation practices often feature prominently in works exploring their impacts on society.

The term "cli-fi" is generally credited to freelance news reporter and climate activist Dan Bloom, who coined it in either 2007 or 2008.[1][2] References to "climate fiction" appear to have begun in the 2010s, although the term has also been retroactively applied to a number of works.[3][4] Pioneering 20th century authors of climate fiction include J. G. Ballard and Octavia E. Butler, while dystopian fiction from Margaret Atwood is often cited as an immediate precursor to the genre's emergence. Since 2010, prominent cli-fi authors include Kim Stanley Robinson, Richard Powers, Paolo Bacigalupi, and Barbara Kingsolver. The publication of Robinson's The Ministry for the Future in 2020 helped cement the genre's emergence; the work generated presidential and United Nations mentions and an invitation for Robinson to meet planners at the Pentagon.[5]

University courses on literature and environmental issues may include climate change fiction in their syllabi.[6] This body of literature has been discussed by a variety of publications, including The New York Times, The Guardian, and Dissent magazine, among other international media outlets.[7] Lists of climate fiction have been compiled by organizations including Grist, Outside Magazine, and the New York Public Library.[8] Academics and critics study the potential impact of fiction on the broader field of climate change communication.

  1. ^ a b Glass, Rodge (31 May 2013). "Global Warning: The Rise of 'Cli-fi'" retrieved 3 March 2016
  2. ^ Plantz, Kyle. "As the weather shifts, 'cli-fi' takes root as a new literary genre". news.trust.org. Reuters. Retrieved 15 February 2022.
  3. ^ Cite error: The named reference :3 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  4. ^ Cite error: The named reference :1 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  5. ^ Rothman, Joshua (31 January 2022). "Can Science Fiction Wake Us Up to Our Climate Reality?". The New Yorker. Retrieved 24 December 2022.
  6. ^ Pérez-Peña, Richard (1 April 2014). "College Classes Use Arts to Brace for Climate Change". The New York Times. p. A12. Retrieved 31 March 2015.
  7. ^ Tuhus-Dubrow, Rebecca (Summer 2013). "Cli-Fi: Birth of a Genre". Dissent. Retrieved 23 March 2015.
  8. ^ "Compelling Climate Fiction To Read Before It Becomes Nonfiction". The New York Public Library. Retrieved 20 May 2024.