Kim Stanley Robinson, acclaimed American science fiction writer known for his climate-focused works like 'The Ministry for the Future,' discusses the power of science fiction in shaping our reality. He highlights how storytelling can illuminate complex challenges like climate change and inspire innovative solutions. The conversation dives into the importance of imagining both utopian and dystopian futures and advocates for systemic change and individual action to combat climate grief. Robinson emphasizes hope as a biological necessity in the fight for a sustainable future.
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insights INSIGHT
Climate Fiction's Power
Climate fiction uniquely portrays the reality of large-scale problems.
Robinson aims for "utopian" fiction, where humanity avoids mass extinction.
insights INSIGHT
Ministry for the Future
The Ministry for the Future is a fictional UN committee.
It represents future generations and addresses climate change.
question_answer ANECDOTE
Heatwave in India
Kim Stanley Robinson's "The Ministry for the Future" opens with a heatwave in India, killing 20 million people.
This fictional event mirrors real-life heatwave tragedies, highlighting the urgency of climate change.
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The Ministry for the Future is a novel by Kim Stanley Robinson that delves into the urgent issue of climate change. Set in the near future, the story follows the establishment of a UN agency, the Ministry for the Future, whose mission is to advocate for the rights of future generations. The novel is told through multiple perspectives, including those of Mary Murphy, the head of the Ministry, and Frank May, an American aid worker who survives a devastating heat wave in India. The book explores various innovative solutions to climate change, such as the introduction of a new currency called 'carboni' to incentivize decarbonization, and it presents a hopeful yet realistic vision of how humanity might cooperate to mitigate the effects of climate change. The narrative includes a mix of fictional eyewitness accounts, non-fiction descriptions, and diverse writing styles, reflecting the complexity and urgency of the climate crisis[1][3][5].
The meta-crisis is so vast: climate change, exponential technology, addiction, polarization and more. How do we grasp it, let alone take steps to address it? One of the thinking tools we have at our disposal is science fiction. To the extent that we co-evolve with our stories, science fiction can prepare us for the impending future -- and empower us to shape it. On this episode on Your Undivided Attention, a podcast from the TED Audio Collective, we're thrilled to have one of the greatest living science-fiction writers: Kim Stanley Robinson. His most recent novel is "The Ministry for the Future," a sweeping epic that reaches into the very near future and imagines what it would take to unite humanity and avoid a mass extinction. Whether or not you've read the book, this episode has insights for you. And if this episode makes you want to read the book, our conversation won't spoil it. Listen to more podcasts from TED at youtube.com/tedaudiocollective.
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