Kim Stanley Robinson

Kim Stanley Robinson, a celebrated science fiction writer known for his Mars trilogy and the impactful 'Ministry for the Future,' discusses the parallels between his imaginative landscapes and current climate realities. He reflects on the optimism stemming from global cooperation and legislative progress. Robinson also critiques the overreach of tech moguls in politics, urging for a balance between innovation and collaborative solutions. He champions the UN's role and emphasizes the necessity of collective international action to combat climate change.

To tackle climate change, we need good stories and we need good storytellers. Kim Stanley Robinson is a climate fiction author who has written more than 20 novels, including Ministry for the Future, which was published in 2020. It opens in 2025, with a heatwave that kills millions in India. It’s a grim scene, and what follows is the story of humans striving to cope with an increasingly inhospitable planet — there’s ecoterrorism, high-finance, wild chases over the Swiss Alps. What emerges in Ministry is the a ‘optopian’ roadmap, in which the world gets to grips with the climate crisis and begins to rectify the situation. In the first of three episodes talking with climate storytellers on Zero, we hear from Robinson about how he crafts a good story out of a desperate situation, what he thinks the limits of climate storytelling are, and how his thinking has changed since publishing Ministry for the Future. Read more:  Kim Stanley Robinson’s columns for Bloomberg Green Zero: High hopes for biodiversity, but who will pay?  A transcript of this episode Zero is a production of Bloomberg Green. Our producer is Oscar Boyd and our senior producer is Christine Driscoll. Special thanks to Kira Bindrim, Todd Woody and Abraiya Ruffin. Thoughts or suggestions? Email us at zeropod@bloomberg.net. For more coverage of climate change and solutions, visit bloomberg.com/green See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

On this episode, Nate is joined by climate science fiction author Kim Stanley Robinson to discuss how he contributes to the discussion of climate and pro-social changemaking through writing. There have been many calls to improve the communication of scientists to the general public in hopes it will help people understand the severity of the various global threats we face. A key component to such communication comes from art and literature. Even further, the humanities help us think about the type of future and culture we want to have given the information that science brings us. How can we incorporate fiction into our set of tools to bring more people into awareness of the pressing systemic dynamics underpinning global events? About Kim Stanley Robinson: Kim Stanley Robinson is an American science fiction writer. He is the author of over twenty books, including the internationally bestselling Mars trilogy, and more recently Red Moon, New York 2140, and The Ministry for the Future. He was part of the U.S. National Science Foundation’s Antarctic Artists and Writers’ Program in 1995 and 2016, and a featured speaker at COP-26 in Glasgow, as a guest of the UK government and the UN. His work has been translated into 28 languages, and won awards including the Hugo, Nebula, and World Fantasy awards. In 2016 asteroid 72432 was named “Kimrobinson.” To watch this video episode on Youtube: https://youtu.be/Xc53KPv7flk  Show Notes & Links to Learn More: https://www.thegreatsimplification.com/episode/66-kim-stanley-robinson

Science fiction author Kim Stanley Robinson joins the podcast to speculate about how we might evolve as a civilization. They discuss how he builds his science fiction worlds, the shifting pace of human acceleration, and how AI may change how humans organize themselves in the future.

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.This week on Your Undivided Attention, 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 for you.Clarification: in the episode, Robinson refers to philosopher Antonio Gramsci's "pessimism of the intellect, optimism of the will." This phrase was originally said by novelist and playwright Romain Rolland. Gramsci made the phrase the motto of his newspaper, because he appreciated its integration of radical intellectualism with revolutionary activism.RECOMMENDED MEDIA The Ministry For The FutureRobinson's latest novel and the subject of our conversation — which reaches into the near future, and imagines what it would take to unite humanity and avoid a mass extinctionA Deeper Dive Into the Meta CrisisCHT's blog post about the meta-crisis, which includes the fall of sense-making and the rise of decentralized technology-enabled power Half Earth ProjectThe project based on E. O. Wilson's proposal to conserve half the land and sea — in order to safeguard the bulk of biodiversity, including ourselvesClimateAction.techGlobal tech worker community mobilizing the technology industry to face the climate crisisRECOMMENDED YUA EPISODES18 – The Stubborn Optimist’s Guide to Saving the Planet: https://www.humanetech.com/podcast/18-the-stubborn-optimists-guide-to-saving-the-planetBonus – The Stubborn Optimist’s Guide Revisited: https://www.humanetech.com/podcast/bonus-the-stubborn-optimists-guide-revisited29 – A Renegade Solution to Extractive Economics: https://www.humanetech.com/podcast/29-a-renegade-solution-to-extractive-economicsYour Undivided Attention is produced by the Center for Humane Technology. Follow us on Twitter: @HumaneTech_  

Renowned science fiction author Kim Stanley Robinson discusses his impactful novel Ministry for the Future, exploring themes of climate change, capitalism, and society. The conversation touches on terraforming Mars, sea-level rise in Lower Manhattan, and the importance of decarbonization solutions. Robinson's deep connection with nature, reflections on civil disobedience, global governance challenges, and utopian scenarios for the future are also highlighted.

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.

Kim Stanley Robinson, an acclaimed US sci-fi author and climate activist, dives into how storytelling can ignite action against climate change. He discusses the significance of speculative narratives in shaping environmental discourse and the urgent need for innovative solutions. With a focus on his novel 'Ministry for the Future,' Robinson emphasizes the balance between hope and skepticism in climate action. He also highlights the essential role of indigenous perspectives in environmental stewardship, prompting a reflection on our ethical responsibilities.

In this podcast, they discuss the shift from capitalism to ecoeconomics on Mars, the urgency of addressing climate crisis, and the challenges of governance in a poly crisis world. They explore utopian societies, climate adaptation, and personal transcendence in the Sierra Mountains.

Kim Stanley Robinson, a bestselling science fiction author, joins Jeffrey Sachs to discuss his works on climate change, specifically 'The Ministry for the Future.' They explore how climate crises could lead to global instability, rising sea levels, and potential acts of climate terrorism. The conversation contrasts slow political negotiations with the urgent need for action. Robinson emphasizes the role of literature in imagining possible futures, advocating for collective action and a new economic model that supports both humanity and the environment.