Imagining Tomorrow by Writing Today
The emerging genre of solarpunk has readers and writers alike working towards a better future.
Paul Kearsley shows off a sketch of a character from his futuristic Whatcom county series. The character wears clothing and uses tools inspired by local indigenous cultures, May 8, 2024. //Photo by Ian Ferguson
Story by Isaac Becker // Photos by Ian Ferguson
June 13, 2024
Del has spent her whole life engineering technology based on the strength and complexity of spiderwebs. She never imagined that one day she’d be standing in an arachnid-inspired space station of her own design. - “The Spider and the Stars”, by D. K. Mok.
Sparky drives a reeling cargo van through the streets of Milan amidst a city wide festival. By the time the sun rises, she and her companions will have installed an illegal art installation - if the police don’t catch them first. - “Midsummer Night's Heist”, by Guglielmo Miccolupi.
Wind blows across the crocodile farm, carrying with it the scent of the recently excavated bodies which will soon feed the crocodiles. Is it desecration and grave robbing, or a sustainable way to dispose of oil barons and oligarchs? - “A Field of Sapphires and Sunshine”, by Jaymee Goh.
These are summaries of works from the diverse young sci-fi subgenre “solarpunk,” which strives to inspire climate action and build community through stories of plausible and just climate futures. Solarpunk is rapidly developing from a niche online community into a global phenomenon.
Solarpunk is still a loosely defined genre, so it means different things to different people. But it usually takes the form of short stories which center on some form of constructive climate action or future. This can be a sustainable technological innovation, social transformation, or a way to process environmental trauma.
A collection of Kearsley’s character watercolors and sketches, May 8, 2024. //Photo by Ian Ferguson
Sarena Ulibarri, a prominent solarpunk writer and editor, defines solarpunk as a movement of writers, artists and activists who use positive climate messaging and grassroots solutions to address systemic environmental issues.
“We're trying to tell entertaining stories in a way that changes how people think about climate change and the way people think about what the future can be,” Ulibarri said.
Iterations of solarpunk emerged in the later half of the 20th century, from authors like Ursula K. Le Guin and Octavia Butler. The first story to explicitly label itself as solar punk was published in 2010.
Now, Ulibarri writes stories and publishes anthologies integrating solarpunk works from all over the world. Her goal is to spread solarpunk ideas and integrate them into people's mindsets and daily lives.
“You have to imagine a better future before you can move toward it,” Ulibarri said, noting that solarpunk narratives can show people a path towards action and hope.
Brandon McWilliams, a graduate student at Western Washington University, conducted a study on the potential benefits of reading solarpunk fiction. McWilliams discovered that most readers felt more empowered to act in their community after reading a solarpunk story. Much of solarpunk fiction is focused on community level action, which can open the door for readers to envision how they could engage with community organizing in their own lives.
Brandon McWilliams stands outside in front of an Earth Day tree planting event near the Wade King Rec Center Apr 22, 2024. //Photo by Ian Ferguson
“Solarpunk is meant to inspire hope that comes with action, and hope that's attached to action is powerful and can lead us toward better futures,” Ulibarri said.
Paul Kearsley is part of a team working to share that sense of empowerment with the Bellingham community. His work, What Comes 2617, is a collection of watercolor artwork and short stories set in futuristic Whatcom County after 250 feet of sea level rise. Kearsley’s art imagines what daily life could look like in a futuristic world.
Many solutions to our current problems can be found, at least partially, in the past, according to Kearlsey. Solarpunk fiction often blends ideas from indigenous or pre-industrial ways of life with sustainable technology.
Kearsley, in addition to his solarpunk work, also operates a permaculture farm to restore degraded and produce food. He hopes to inspire people to think about what actions they can take, individually and within their community.
“The solutions that we are looking for are not large-scale technological solutions, they are small-scale, accessible, individual and communal actions,” Kearsley said.
Inherent to the solarpunk genre is a radical counterculture movement in opposition to the status quo. Some in the genre are concerned that this political statement will get lost in greenwashed positivity.
“Anytime you have a punk genre, at some point it gets a little more mainstream and then the establishment will try to sell your rebellion back to you,” Ulibarri said.
Kearsley also expressed concern about some climate narratives he has encountered, noting that some key tenets of the solarpunk genre, like social justice and a shift away from consumerism, were left out of the narrative.
“We’re being sold the potential to keep living the way we're living and not have to change very much,” Kearsley said.
Cameron Roberson, a New York based solarpunk writer, is committed to expanding the diversity of solarpunk writers and readers. He is a lead writer for the Black Speculative Fiction Collective, and provides aspiring nonbinary high school solarpunk writers with access to creative support and edits.
He has noted the importance of black and brown voices in solarpunk especially as the genre aims to center underrepresented people and perspectives. Roberson has seen more BIPOC voices in solarpunk in recent years, but still feels that there is room for improvement.
“It's important to make sure that you are making room for people who have not necessarily been the center of fiction,” Roberson said.
In his writing, Roberson focuses on what it means to make good climate decisions and the consequences those choices have on people and the environment.
Kearsley emphasized that solarpunk isn’t only fiction set hundreds of years in the future – it's also here and now, with individuals and communities improving their relationships with the Earth.
“We won't get to a positive future unless we can start imagining it,” Kearsley said.
A depiction by Paul Kearsley of Bellingham Bay free of modern infrastructure and buildings, instead covered by farmland and forests, May 8, 2024. //Photo by Ian Ferguson
Isaac Becker is an environmental studies student. He is passionate about tying outdoor recreation to climate action.
Ian Ferguson is studying environmental studies to further his passion for the outdoors and to learn more about our world.