Note to Teacher:
As the apocalyptic consequences of climate change emerge slowly and globally rather than as a single newsworthy disaster, we struggle to maintain the vision and motivation to combat them. Reading fiction and poetry exploring the possibilities of a changed and changing climate is a powerful way to make these abstract futures more immediate. Below, we offer five lists to consider reading and discussing with students:
- Climate Poetry for Teaching
- Climate Short Stories for Teaching
- Climate Novels for Teaching
- Climate Fiction: Dystopias and Allegories
- Climate Movies
The first three lists include poems, short stories, and novels employing positive and visionary approach to the subject of climate change, focusing on ways to both combat and adapt to these challenges. By envisioning cultural tools and social strategies for transitioning to a post-carbon world, these stories offer inspiration and guidance for addressing these very real problems— not just through magical new technology, but through cultural shifts that make use of the technology we already have. These texts may be used for whole class reading, to enrich a larger unit on climate change, or even to lead students in researching and creating their own artistic explorations of futures altered by climate change. Questions for discussion follow each listing.
As this is a resource for teachers, I provide a few content warnings for violence, sex, and readability. Still, I recommend reading all stories before sharing with your students.
The fourth list is for students interested in reading more about this subject. It includes young adult and adult fiction focused on the social and practical effects of climate change. Many of these texts vividly convey the emotional weight of various natural disasters. Climate change threatens people. It's often easy to forget this or live in denial by responding, "Climate change won't affect me." or "I'll be dead before anything gets too bad." These stories prompt us to rethink these assumptions and consider creating a more sustainable world with urgency. Some are straightforward climate dystopias while others work as allegories of the problem.
Finally, the fifth is a short list of films and TV shows covers similar types of climate fiction in visual media.