A Compendium of Futures: Teaching Solarpunk as a Response to Climate Grief

Phoebe Wagner examines the uses of solarpunk, a subgenre of science fiction, as a classroom tool to imagine environmental futures that inspire rather than cause despair. Speculative literature imagines new narratives and impacts our daily lives already, whether it’s the invention of the cell phone inspired by Star Trek or words like “cyberspace” lifted from William Gibson’s Neuromancer. By reimagining the future and the past, Wagner argues that speculative literature provides tools that can change the present. The subgenre of solarpunk offers a unique response to climate despair through imagining and working toward more sustainable and equitable futures. With a focus on community building and hope through action, solarpunk allows students to not just imagine futures beyond environmental collapse but also demonstrates ways to achieve those futures. Wagner will provide several story examples and teaching strategies for employing the solarpunk subgenre in the classroom.