The Ministry for the Future: Climate Change and Speculative Fiction with Kim Stanley Robinson
1,603 views Apr 3, 2021 Meaningful global action on climate change looks like it may finally be in reach in 2021 – the United States has rejoined the Paris Agreement and the Biden administration has signaled that climate change is a top priority. But what if we fail? In his new novel, 'The Ministry for the Future', legendary science-fiction author Kim Stanley Robinson imagines that very scenario, telling the story of a chaotic, not-so-distant future with runaway climate change, eco-terrorists, petro-billionaires, and a shadowy international organization known as the “Ministry for the Future.”
How can speculative fiction like this new novel help inform smart global policy? Are there real-life equivalents of The Ministry for the Future? And is there hope that the world can avoid the worst-case scenario of climate change?
Kim Stanley Robinson joined us [Perry World House] for this edition of Global Lens, our cultural affairs event program, to discuss his new novel, The Ministry for the Future, and how speculative fiction can inform policy debates.