Earth Day is celebrated every year on April 22nd. It is a day that reminds us of our responsibility to take care of our planet. One way to better understand the impact of human activity on our environment is through climate fiction. These Asian authors discuss the impact of our actions upon the earth and its consequences across different landscapes, times and worlds.
Climate Fiction is a genre that is gaining popularity as more people become aware of the impact of climate change on our planet. By reading Cli-Fi novels, we can raise awareness, engage with environmental issues, and find hope for the future.
See also: 8 Asian changemakers fighting for environmental and climate justice
The Ones We’re Meant to Find
Stranded on an empty island for three years, Cee has no memory of how she got there or her life before. She only knows she has a sister named Kay somewhere out there. It’s up to Cee to cross the ocean and find her.
In a different world, 16-year-old STEM genius Kasey Mizuhara lives in an eco-city built for people who protected the planet and safeguard them from natural disasters that are increasing due to climate change. Their residents, in return, must spend at least a third of their time in stasis pods, doing business virtually to reduce their environmental impact. Although Kasey, an introverted and solitary person, likes the lifestyle, her sister Celia despised it. Sociable and charming, Celia preferred the outside world. But no one could have predicted that Celia would take a boat out to sea, never to return. Now, three months have passed since Celia’s disappearance, and Kasey has given up hope. Logically, her sister must be dead. But despite this, she decides to retrace Celia’s last steps.
How High We Go In The Dark
In 2030, an archeologist arrives in the Arctic Circle. He continues the work of his recently deceased daughter at the Batagaika Crater. Researchers are studying long-buried secrets now revealed in melting permafrost, including the perfectly preserved remains of a girl who appears to have died of an ancient virus. Once unleashed, the Arctic plague will reshape life on Earth for generations to come. It will quickly spread across the globe, forcing humanity to find new and creative ways to face tragedy.
From tall buildings for the deceased to hotels for the dead to interstellar spaceships, Sequoia Nagamatsu takes readers on a unique and compassionate journey across continents, centuries, and even celestial bodies. The story is about the strength of the human spirit, our endless capacity to dream, and the connections that bind us all together in the universe.
Multispecies Cities: Solarpunk Urban Futures
In these stories across the Asia-Pacific region, twenty-four authors explore how humans relate to the natural world around them. They place characters in situations where people have to think about more than just their own needs, and fully see the life around them: animals, insects and plants, landform and machines. The stories also imagine a positive future for our cities, and go across many narratives: a punishment in Singapore leads to unexpected friendships. A boy and a mammoth travel across Asia to find family. A genetically-enhanced soldier struggles to find a new purpose in a peaceful Tokyo. If you want to read about how justice, inclusion and sustainability all work together to create a world that can survive the climate apocalypse, this anthology is for you.
The Disaster Tourist
Jungle is a travel agency that focuses on tourism to places affected by disasters and climate change. Yona was one of their top representatives, but she’s now about to lose her job due to a predatory colleague. She’s given a proposition to take a paid “vacation” to Mui, a desert island, and pose as a tourist to evaluate the company’s least profitable holiday.While on the island, she discovers a plan to fake a huge disaster. This ecothriller focuses on themes of feminism, climate activism, dark tourism and the #MeToo movement
Cyber Mage
The story takes place in Dhaka, Bangladesh in the year 2089. To survive the climate apocalypse, the people use tiny machines in their bodies to keep the temperature stable. Djibrel is a fighter who carries a machete. He looks for the Djinn, a magical race of genies who might have merged with humans. Djibrel doesn’t know that he is being watched by the Cyber Mage. The Cyber Mage is a teenager named Murzak who works for a crime group. Murzak is going to high school for the first time. He discovers a new kind of AI on the internet and he and Djibrel have to face it.
The super AI in the work learns through an online fantasy multiplayer video game. If you are theorizing how AI will evolve in the next couple of years, the presentation of this AI is fascinating and worth the read alone to ponder about for days after.
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Climate fiction is an excellent way to learn more about our planet and inspire action towards a sustainable future. So, if you haven’t already, pick up a climate fiction book and start reading!
