Climate Change and Dystopian Fiction: A Comparative Study

Abstract

This article examines the evolution and significance of climate change narratives within contemporary dystopian fiction from 1960 to the present. Through comparative analysis of key literary works across this period, the research identifies distinct phases in fictional engagement with climate crisis: from early environmental warnings to the emergence of climate fiction ("cli-fi") as a recognized subgenre and its recent evolution into what this study terms "adaptive climate narratives." By applying ecocritical and narratological frameworks to works by J.G. Ballard, Octavia Butler, Kim Stanley Robinson, Margaret Atwood, Omar El Akkad, and N.K. Jemisin, this study demonstrates how dystopian fiction serves as a critical site for exploring the psychological, ethical, and socio-political dimensions of climate change. The analysis reveals significant shifts in narrative strategies, with earlier works emphasizing apocalyptic spectacle and cautionary tales, while contemporary texts increasingly employ more complex temporal structures, intersectional approaches, and speculative solutions that resist narrative closure. This research contributes to our understanding of how dystopian fiction functions not merely as warning but as a form of cognitive mapping that helps readers navigate the conceptual and emotional challenges posed by climate crisis, potentially fostering environmental consciousness and political engagement. By tracking the formal and thematic evolution of climate dystopias, this study highlights literature's vital role in making the abstract phenomenon of climate change culturally meaningful and ethically urgent.