Why are fictional accounts of climate change important?įiction is, in many ways, the study of consequences – the consequences of the things we do to ourselves and the things we do to one another. A writer cannot write honest fiction and not take stock of such changes. There will soon come a time when memory has to account for the changing of the land – some of the places where our memories took place will, by the end of our lives, either look completely different or not be around at all. It is a phenomenon that will come to alter every aspect of human life – not only our physical geography, but our emotional geography too. I think it’s going to become increasingly impossible for novelists not to engage with climate change. Why does climate change interest you as a novelist? The ways in which climate change wreaks havoc on the country are in large part informed by my research into the ongoing effects of rising sea levels and global warming, including myriad interviews I conducted over the years with climate scientists working in communities where climate change is already causing serious damage, such as southern Louisiana and Florida. By the time the prohibition comes about, however, climate change has already ravaged much of the United States. Yes, my novel centers on a Second Civil War, the cause of which is a rift over a federally mandated fossil fuel prohibition. In this interview we discuss his novel and its influences, as well as his thoughts on climate fiction more generally.Īmerican War seems influenced by a robust understanding of science and your own experience as a reporter. Prior to writing the book he worked as a journalist, covering a range of stories, including the war in Afghanistan, the Arab Spring revolutions, and the protests in Ferguson, Missouri. His debut novel, American War, was released in 2017. The work of artists and writers speaking out about climate change also seems to have gained more visibility in recent weeks.īelow you’ll find an interview with one of my favorite climate fiction writers, Omar El Akkad. I suppose the good news it that the report seems to have sparked a renewed sense of urgency among climate change communicators and activists.
The report paints a bleak future, one rife with food shortages, violent weather patterns and wildfires, and a mass die-off of coral reefs. By now most of you have probably read the United Nations’ IPCC report, or articles summarizing it.
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