Climate Fiction as Environmental Discourse: Ecocritical Readings of Climate Crisis and its Agency in Contemporary Literature

English

This paper examines the emergence and evolution of climate fiction (cli-fi) as a vital literary response to the escalating environmental crisis, situating its analysis within the theoretical framework of ecocriticism. As climate change intensifies and permeates global consciousness, cli-fi has gained prominence for its imaginative engagement with ecological collapse, adaptation and the complexities of human and nonhuman survival. The study traces the genre’s roots from early speculative works such as J.G. Ballard’s The Drowned World to its contemporary flourishing in novels by Kim Stanley Robinson, Barbara Kingsolver and Octavia E. Butler. Through close readings of representative texts, this paper identifies key thematic concerns, including environmental degradation, socio-political conflict, resilience, psychological impact and the challenge of representing climate change in narrative form. Ecocriticism provides a critical lens for interrogating how cli-fi shapes environmental consciousness, challenges anthropocentrism and fosters empathy for nonhuman life. The paper explores how cli-fi functions not only as a mirror reflecting societal anxieties but also as a catalyst for cultural change, influencing public discourse and potentially motivating collective action. The study also considers the genre’s role in environmental education and activism, highlighting its capacity to make abstract ecological issues accessible and emotionally resonant. While acknowledging limitations such as the risks of fatalism and didacticism, the paper argues that cli-fi’s potential to inspire action and empathy makes it an indispensable component of contemporary environmental discourse. Ultimately, cli-fi is presented as a dynamic and evolving site for imagining, critiquing and reconfiguring humanity’s relationship with the planet in the Anthropocene.

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