Imagining Climate Futures: Worldmaking Through Community-Based Storytelling and Climate Fiction

Abstract

Climate fiction, or Cli-Fi, is a subgenre of science and speculative fiction that exploresthemes of environment, climate change, and society. Narratives associated with the genre can exist on a spectrum ranging from apocalyptic to utopian in nature, often critiquing modern society and portraying aspects of personal and community resilience, social and environmental justice, technology, and adaptation in times of crisis. As the world continues to face rising temperatures, more frequent and extreme weather events and natural disasters, as well as political and social unrest globally, climate nihilism and so-called “doomerism” can take hold, leaving people and communities feeling hopeless and powerless about the future. With a greater call in climate change scholarship for new and imaginative ways of understanding, knowing, and working with climate change, this document offers a case study using storytelling practices and fiction-writing to develop experiential forms of knowledge about climate change. In the spirit of Cli-Fi anthology collections that illustrate uncertain, critical, and resilient futures, Imagining Climate Futures is a research project designed to invite participants to engage in creative, imaginative, and collaborative storytelling practices to envision possible futures that reflect the experiences, knowledge, ideas, and values of those involved. This thesis discusses the process of working with participants to engage in speculative and creative storytelling practices rooted in lived experiences and centered around climate change and climate futures, providing an opportunity to learn from one another and expand on personal and collective visions of the future in light of the climate crisis.