Climate Inspired Fictions and Present Obligations to Future Generations

Abstract

In the 21st century, industrial expansion across the planet, individual and global mobility, and capitalistic-driven consumption have generated increased air and water toxicity, rising ocean levels, and mountains of non-biodegradable plastic. Climate fiction, or “cli-fi,” raises awareness about and promotes further research into addressing some of these climate issues. The narratives of this genre also present situations that aid in promoting an ethical transition to a more sustainable environment for present and future generations. The cli-fi novels that are the focus of this thesis - American War by Omar El Akkad and The Wall by John Lanchester - invite readers into an intergenerational conversation about our responsibilities to the planet for future generations. These fictional narratives raise questions about how to best practice a care ethic for the Earth and the future. Asserting that the climate crisis is of anthropogenic origin, the novels allude to humanity’s obligation to balance their actions’ benefits and costs across time and space. In this thesis, I will analyze the ethical questions generated in these futuristic novels and draw on the similarities and differences the characters experience in a climate crisis. Through a young protagonist’s view, each novel explores intergenerational conflict around global warming and provides an opportunity to debate implementing an ecological ethic of care for the future.