Sci Fi goes Green

Skype with Minnesota: Sci Fi goes Green

What can science fiction do to change the world? When it came to discussing sustainability and science fiction, my Skype partner and I were initially quite taken aback. Wasn't this obvious?

From the viewpoint of contemporary academic discourse, the influence that science fiction can have on a global, societal issue such as climate change is deceptively simple. Stories, and the media that relay them, shape the notions and attitudes that inform political thought. Consequently, science fiction that deals with sustainability plays a part in generating awareness, thereby informing the lifestyle changes of those that come to reflect on their own behavior, and its impact on the environment.

Science fiction seems to be particularly well positioned when it comes to teaching through entertainment. It often uses speculative approaches towards technological developments, to outline the role that technology plays in shaping our culture, and the impact we have on our environment. Furthermore, if a reader engages in a narrative dealing with sustainability, they may do so at a more personal level. Their relationship with the stories characters, and their experiences in a world formed by environmental collapse, can generate a deeper appreciation for the threats posed by real-world issues of sustainability, such as climate change. This effect can only be deepened by science fictions tendency to build on existing scientific knowledge. If, for example, a reader came to find out that the story they were immersed in drew upon existing predictive models for the development of climate change, the story's impact could only deepen.

The given summary of The Windup Girl seemed to further prove this point. From the point of view of a world after environmental disaster, the present-day world, that the reader lives in, must seem like a utopia. Obviously, anybody who reads this story, and engages with the struggles of the main characters, would have to come to the realization of the deep threat that climate change poses to their life, and the lives of others.

My partner and I discussed this critically. How lasting, and how meaningful, could this effect be? Concrete political change does not begin and end with awareness. In the face of the actual, real challenges in averting environmental disasters, does the mere act of raising awareness not seem laughable? Does the task of changing our mode of production of energy, the necessary overhaul of our infrastructure, not dwarf any concerns of awareness?

Even a cursory glance at the statistics proved our skepticism wrong. In America, more than half the population either believes that there is no evidence for climate change or that it is due to natural causes. Worldwide, a staggering 40 percent of adults have never heard of climate change. Clearly, our dismissal of the importance of awareness was misguided.

In the face of these statistics, the role of fiction seemed of much greater importance to us than before. After all, we had approached science fictions engagement with issues of sustainability from a privileged viewpoint. We were already aware. To someone who isn't, however, science fiction can provide a way to ease into the topic, to engage with issues of sustainability in a way that is entertaining, as well as informative. The fact that science fiction offers this engagement in a way that is often rooted in scientific discourse about real-world issues, further proves its value in spreading awareness.

Sources

www.pewinternet.org/2016/10/04/public-views-on-climate-change-and-climate-scientists

climatecommunication.yale.edu/publications/analysis-of-a-119-country-surve-predicts-global-climate-change-awareness