What’s driving the rise of ‘ecopocalyptic’ fiction?
REPORT
8 Feb 2022
What’s driving the rise of ‘ecopocalyptic’ fiction?

A looming climate disaster has many Americans seeking solace in utopian and dystopian media. Some forward-looking Gen Zers and Yers, however, are also looking to these imagined futures as a way to understand the present and determine how they might transform our world for the better.

Gregory Claeys

Gregory Claeys is professor emeritus of the history of political thought at the University of London. He has done a TED talk on why utopias are important for humankind and was elected chair of the Utopian Studies Society (Europe) in 2016. His books include Searching for Utopia: the History of an Idea, Dystopia: A Natural History, and the forthcoming Utopianism for a Dying Planet.

Calista Lyon

Calista Lyon is a multi-disciplinary visual artist exploring the dynamics of memory and resistance in the wake of eco-social collapse. She creates installations, performances, and community-engaged works that make visible the complexity of ecological destruction, communicate the internalized experience of ecological grief, and offer reparative forms of existence through artistic inquiry. Calista is currently the Ruffin Assistant Professor of New Media at the University of Virginia.

Lily Moodey

Lily Moodey is an urban researcher, associate lecturer at the University of the Arts London, and lecturer of urban research skills at the Amsterdam School of International Business. She has a focus on how cities ‘imagine’ themselves on a global level and create policy to align with these visions.

Meleah Moore

Meleah Moore is a Brooklyn-based writer, photographer, and communications consultant for social enterprises. She holds a degree in sustainable development from the University of St Andrews.