What will the world look, feel and sound like by 2100? For those of us who imagine possible futures, the graphics in this article may be helpful.
Climate change is forcing map makers to redraw the world
* * *
Posts Tagged ‘climate change’
What May Be
Posted in Science!, Writing, tagged #365Ways, #365Ways2023, climate change, science, Thoughts, writing on April 11, 2023| 2 Comments »
Climate Futures Contest
Posted in Writing, tagged #365Ways, #365Ways2023, cli-fi, climate change, creativity, Fiction, genre fiction, inspiration, sff, Writers, writing, writing contest, yay on March 23, 2023| Leave a Comment »
It’s that time again, when Grist rolls out its annual climate fiction short story contest! Have something to say about the future, and how we might win it? This could be the contest for you!
Imagine 2200 climate fiction contest 2023: Submit your story
We’re looking for stories of 3,000 to 5,000 words that envision the next 180 years of climate progress – roughly seven generations – imagining intersectional worlds of abundance, adaptation, reform, and hope.
Hopeful doesn’t mean “fatuous” or “unrealistic” or even “easy.” It does mean light at the end of this particular tunnel. If you’re wondering what a winning entry looks like, here are stories from previous iterations of the contest:
- Imagine 2200 Editors’ Picks
- Imagine 2200: The 2022 climate fiction collection
- Imagine 2200: Climate Fiction for Future Ancestors
Here’s the listing on The Submissions Grinder (best submission tracking platform out there and did I mention it’s free?).
All genres welcome, no cost to enter, submissions close June 13, 2023. Head to the link for more details and the submissions portal.
* * *
Tipping Point
Posted in Writing, tagged #365Ways, #365Ways2022, aliens, climate change, creativity, drabble, Fiction, genre fiction, Thoughts, Writers, writing on July 20, 2022| 2 Comments »
A drabble inspired by my love for science fiction. Also, the news.
Tipping Point, or, Oil Lobbyists Celebrate Over Drinks (London, UK, Earth)
Four oil lobbyists drank martinis around a mahogany table in a richly-appointed bar, celebrating. Their efforts had finally succeeded.
The lobbyist at the South end of the table grinned.
“Did you see the news? 40C! God, we’re good.”
West puffed on a Cuban cigar. “They say it’s the new normal. I’d say we’re ready.”
North shivered in the frigid air. “Agreed. Make the call.”
East opened a communicator that looked like a prop from Star Trek.
“Base? Terraforming is complete. Send the first wave of settlers.”
South looked at his fleshy fingers.
“Can’t wait to get out of these clothes.”
* * *
Happy Day, Earth!
Posted in Other, tagged #365Ways, #365Ways2022, #EarthDay, climate change, Thoughts on April 22, 2022| Leave a Comment »
It is Earth Day 2022 and I’ll be honest, between the news and climate change I’m feeling a tiny bit discouraged, but! The sun is shining, the birds are singing, and the climate news is not all bad.
Should we be concerned? Of course. Is there hope? Of course!
How young people are taking action against climate change
5 ways to live more sustainably this Earth Day
We know individual actions can only get us so far, and solving the astronomical issue of climate change is the job of governments and policies. But we also know that our decisions matter.
Let’s make them count.
* * *
On The New Climate Change Report
Posted in Science!, tagged #365Ways, #365Ways2022, climate change, inspiration, ruh-ro, Thoughts on April 6, 2022| 2 Comments »
“Honestly, if you’re given the choice between Armageddon or tea, you don’t say ‘what kind of tea?’”
― Neil Gaiman
Wise advice.
Climate Change 2022: Mitigation of Climate Change
* * *
Writing A Better Future
Posted in Writing, tagged #365Ways, #365Ways2022, cli-fi, climate change, creativity, Fiction, genre fiction, inspiration, sff, Writers, writing, writing contest on February 1, 2022| 1 Comment »
tl;dr scroll for climate fiction contest info
You may have noticed that we are in the midst of a climate shift that is affecting all facets of life. What comes next, and how do we fix it?
Science is great for understanding what will change but to better understand the squishier bits like how it will impact our lives and societies? That is where fiction excels.
I’ve mentioned climate fiction before but if you’re interested in what’s out there, here are a few examples:
- Stories to save the world: the new wave of climate fiction | Books | The Guardian
- The definitive climate fiction reading list – 20 books to explore cli-fi | Fix
* * *
Want to try at hand at writing us all into an optimistic future? Good news, Fix is back with another short story contest titled Imagine 2200: Climate Fiction for Future Ancestors.
We’re looking for stories of 3,000 to 5,000 words that envision the next 180 years of climate progress — roughly seven generations. The winning writer will be awarded $3,000, with the second- and third-place winners receiving $2,000 and $1,000, respectively. An additional nine finalists will each receive $300. Winners and finalists will be published in Fall 2022 in an immersive collection on Fix’s website and celebrated during a virtual event.
- Entry is free!
- Submissions close May 5, 2022, 11:59 p.m. U.S. Pacific Standard Time.
- The contest is open to writers anywhere in the world.
- Authors must be 18 years or older at the time of submission.
- Submissions must be fictional stories between 3,000 and 5,000 words.
- We do not accept previously published or simultaneous submissions (stories can only be submitted to this contest and not to others, until we have informed you of the result).
- Only one submission will be accepted per entrant.
There is no cost to enter and story copyright and ownership remains with the author. More details here.
Let’s write ourselves a better future!
* * *
Today Days
Posted in Likes, tagged #365Ways, #JoniMitchell, climate change, creativity, hope, inspiration, music, Thoughts, Writers on December 9, 2021| Leave a Comment »
Some days you take a break from the avalanche of news and realize you’ve got Joni Mitchell’s Big Yellow Taxi stuck in your head. The chorus can feel too true to remember that there are reasons to be cheerful and the world is not, in fact, on a one way trip to Ugh Town.
But other days? Like today days? With heartfelt respect to Ms. Mitchell,* you realize that the final lines of the song could be rewritten:
“They saved Paradise,
and took out the parking lot.”
And we’re just the people to do it.
* * *
- How does one address someone with this level of accomplishment? Award-winner? Multi-Hall of Famer? Fellow Canadian? Doctor (she has three honorary doctorates)? I went with the title that, I hope, conveys fundamental respect across all arenas.
Now It’s Getting Real
Posted in Science!, Writing, tagged #365Ways, climate change, Fiction, imagination, inspiration, superheroes, Thoughts, writing on October 23, 2021| Leave a Comment »
Part of what good fiction does is to create a world and place the reader in it, allowing you to imagine yourself battling the Empire, slaying the dragon, or rescuing the fair prince in distress. But I get it, fiction is also a distancing mechanism.
Satisfying stories open with a problem and close when that problem is resolved, leaving the reader with the sense that they’ve helped and no more needs to be done. I think that can be particularly true when it comes to real challenges like climate change.
Sometimes what’s needed is a picture.
* * *
Meet ThisClimateDoesNotExist, a project by a group of scientists from the Quebec AI Institute in Montreal. They’ve put together a tool that lets you visualize the impact of climate change not on the world in general, or even a region, but on an address.
Take Killian Court at MIT, overlooking the Charles River. What would it look like flooded?* Or the US Capitol Building? Or the Sam’s Club parking lot in West Palm Beach, The Alamo in San Antonio (and I’m pretty sure we can kiss the River Walk goodbye), Pike’s Place Market in Seattle, or (now it’s getting real) the Guinness Brewery in Dublin?
* Not worried about flooding? Try the options for wildfire or smog. Also unpleasant!
Then picture yourself there too. Who better to be the hero of that story?
* * *
Imagine Better
Posted in Writing, tagged #365Ways, climate change, creativity, Fiction, free fiction, genre fiction, inspiration, sff, writing on October 2, 2021| Leave a Comment »
The good news is that there is a lot of up and coming fiction addressing issues of climate, change, and the environment. (The bad news is that we need it.)
Grist/Fix: Solutions Lab has a new climate fiction issue out, with discussions about the role of fiction in fixing reality and a dozen new stories from their “Imagine 2200: Climate Fiction for Future Ancestors” short story contest to get us started.
The Climate Fiction Issue: How fiction can change our reality | Fix
* * *
Mother Nature’s Good Side
Posted in Other, Writing, tagged #365Ways, climate change, creativity, inspiration, lawns, pollinators, Thoughts on September 15, 2021| Leave a Comment »
A storm rolled through last night.
I’ve always loved good thunder and lightning, but this was next level. As I listened to the rumbles like drums and watched bolts of energy streak through the sky, I thought a bit about Mother Nature, and how we often seem to be playing catch-up.
When it’s wet, find a nice cave for shelter. If it’s cold, master fire. If it floods, head for high ground until the water recedes.
I’m oversimplifying, of course, but our instincts, and now our infrastructure and our policies, often seem static or reactive. Particularly in times of great change.
Wouldn’t it be nice to get ahead of the curve?
* * *
Take pollinators, for example. (You knew I’d get to that at some point, didn’t you?)
In the US and Canada, my home turf, communities are full of bylaws governing what you can and can’t do with property in the communal sphere. It’s your land, but you probably aren’t allowed to grow a towering oak directly under a power line or leave rusting car parts by the sidewalk as a tetanus reservoir for children and dogs.
That all seems reasonable, and on the side of the greater good. But what about redefining “good” to include not just aesthetically pleasing symbols of European aristocracy in a bygone era (a.k.a. close-cropped grass lawns), but also what we all need for a healthy and successful future?
Take this gentleman as an example:
Kansas City Man’s Plea For Native Flower Justice Unites Gardeners Around The World
He did what scientists and ecologists around the world are encouraging, and turned his yard into a pollinator paradise. My hat is off to him. But the city reacted by telling him to cut it down because it violated city code. I would argue that this is because they are operating on an outdated definition of what’s “good.”
* * *
A recent survey asked teens how they felt about the job their elders are doing on climate, and the results were both predictable and cause for a bit of reflection. The kids are deeply disappointed, and they have reason. The good news is that many members of “Generation Greta” aren’t waiting around.
That’s not to say that nothing has changed. Solar panels, electric vehicles, wind turbines, the push for accountability down the supply chain, all good things. Even so, many of our current policies remain stuck in the past. We’re on the right path but we’re not going fast enough. And not everyone is moving in the same direction.
It’s time for the sort of thinking at which writers and creatives (and teenagers) excel: new ideas, new approaches, and a reimagining of what we can do now, even in the face of current challenges.
Even if it’s something as small as what grows in your front yard.
* * *
As I sat there last night in my cave, rain and thunder all around, I realized that our definitions aren’t all that will matter in the end.
And that it’s always smart to stay on Mother Nature’s good side.
* * *
J.R. Johnson 
You must be logged in to post a comment.