Envisioning Alternate Futures with Cli-fi Novels.
The recent heatwave in the United States, bringing temperatures exceeding 95 degrees to the Midwest and Northeast, had me thinking of one of the books I read last summer, The Ministry of the Futureby Kim Stanley Robinson. The novel’s first chapter opens in India where aid worker Frank May witnesses the death of thousands during a heatwave in the northern state of Uttar Pradesh when the electric grid shuts down.
Frank’s access to a functioning generator for a brief time and a few sips of precious water enable him to survive, but he is deeply scarred by his experience and ultimately joins forces with others to illicit a plan to try and save the planet.
In our current reality, approximately 1,000 people died during the June five-day Hadj pilgrimage in Saudi Arabia when the temperature topped 125 degrees Fahrenheit. In India, over 100 people have died of heat stroke during the past month. High humidity and temperatures over 96 degrees make for a deadly combination.
What are Americans doing? The majority would prefer not thinking about the warming planet, and instead worry about their “pocketbooks.” The biggest political issue, in the upcoming presidential election, is inflation and the economy. But what good is money if your life and safety is at risk?
Cli-fi novels address these issues. And while fiction may provide escapism, it can also be a place to float some possible solutions to our predicament.
I read Robinsons’s book, as a prelude to my visit to Chautauqua last summer. The overall theme was Imagination and “A Life of Literature” was the theme for the week I visited. Ministry for the Future was chosen by The Scientific and Literary Circle as their book of the week to read and discuss. Kim Stanley Robinson was also a keynote speaker. Some of the ideas in the novel, particularly attractive to me, were the idea of shifting populations to green cities thereby consolidating infrastructure and the eliminating the need for cars. Former suburbs in the future Robinson envisions would be reclaimed by trees, vegetation and wildlife. The increased greenscape would absorb harmful pollutants and carbon dioxide while producing more oxygen to cool the planet.
We live in a consumer-focused society where acquiring newer and better possessions are status symbols. Food for the sake of convenience is often packaged for individual servings, resulting in excessive use of plastics, cardboard and paper-often the plastics are not recyclable.
The majority seem to want everything to be brand new. Second hand furniture, cars, clothing, toys, etc. is considered by many to be inferior. More and more resources are squandered as carbon emissions increase.
The cycle needs stop. While no one person can do everything necessary to save our planet, it is better to do something positive than nothing. Our political leaders are not effectively inspiring conservation. The subject of global warming was barely discussed in the recent presidential debate. One candidate tried to pretend that clean air and water were all that mattered. Meanwhile storms rage, coastlines deteriorate and temperature rise.
So, what do I do? I try to purchase second-hand when possible, compost food waste, elect not to use my car several days a week-walking instead of driving, and carpool whenever possible. I know these are small steps.
As a writer I am witness. What is the story behind our current predicament?
WRITING PROMPT: Can you focus on one character’s behavior and use that as a writing prompt? Write a scene about the relationship between one person and their favorite mode of transportation. Or a scene about someone shopping. What does the way they shop show the reader about who they are? Old habits can be hard to break and they can also be revealing. Every time we write about our memories, the process provides valuable insight.
Thank you for reading. If you haven’t already done so, you can folllow me for FREE on WordPress, Medium or Substack. More of my work can be read at Nadjamaril.com
Originally published at http://nadjamaril.com on June 28, 2024.
