A little bit of context for this List: As environmental anxieties and fears about climate change, habitat loss, pollution and health, etc have become more mainstream and widespread, we have also seen a rise in the number of fictional works that grapple with these realities and the subconscious feelings that spawn from them. Climate fiction has garnered recognition as a sub-genre/niche of stories that explicitly explore what it means to live on a world changing before our eyes—but our modern sentiments toward the environment have undoubtedly also seeped into the realms of “commercial” or “genre” speculative fiction, i.e. sci-fi and fantasy.

There is not a single, all-encompassing checklist of things that a book must have for it to be something I’d consider a reflection of societal attitudes toward the environment. Rather, it’s inherent in how the author and narrative grapple with certain topics; how the setting and story are formulated from their very foundations. Increasingly, we see stories where natural or magical resources are a point of conflict and tension, mirroring real world struggles for fossil fuels, access to energy sources and electricity, and even potable water. We see stories where the use of a substance/material that benefits and empowers one society—whether it’s strange and fantastical in nature or not—hurts characters that the society considers expendable, where pollution and environmental degradation (and human health problems derived from both) permeate storytelling to become important drivers of plot and stakes. The earth and land may become an antagonistic force, but not in the traditional sense of “Man vs. Nature” that we learned in English class; rather, the land is something that has been changed and corrupted and harmed through the actions and perspectives of characters who are all too human in their notions of profit and exploitation. Worldbuilding centers and emphasizes all of these ideas, and though these points may not always be the main focus of the story, the very setting in which the story was built on top of and around becomes a snapshot of the Anthropocene as reflected in the realm of the make-believe.

Other stories grapple with a world in which our current fears are realized. Whether that’s through apocalyptic storms or extreme droughts or catastrophic sea level rise, these stories ask, “But what if it all really happened? What would humanity look like then?”. And inevitably, these stories position human innovation—human innovation for good, human innovation specifically for the improvement of society—as the solution. Instead of an enchanted ring or a long-lost alien artifact, we see MacGuffins take the form of the rediscovery of solar technology, or the ability to harness the endless biodiversity of the natural world into medicine. In these stories, human innovation explicitly done for the benefit of others becomes a driver of good—mirroring the hopes and dreams modern-day scientists have for a more sustainable future.

(Of note, there are not as many well-known titles that posit a solution in the form of re-thinking and re-organizing the relationship humans have with the natural world through a systemic and widespread dismantling of the capitalist, colonialist hegemony—though I’m sure these titles exist, and I would love to check them out if anyone has suggestions! It will definitely be interesting to see where this little niche of books will go in the future, and if stories will begin to touch on that side of the matter a bit more)

Anyway, this was really long and also a delayed introduction given that I posted this List a few days ago lol, but I wanted to throw this out there since I studied and currently work in the environmental field, so this is something that is quite close to my heart.

This is such an excellent theme, these choices are perfect ❤️❤️

It's an amazing list Ayz, and has been interesting books in it! If you are looking for more suggestions, I feel like either The Dispossessed or The Word for World is Forest, both by Ursula K. Le Guin could be a fit! Dispossessed is a bit more about social systems, even if ecology is present as a theme, but Forest is an amazing critique on colonisation and the destruction of one's natural land 🙂‍↕️

another stellar list theme 🤩

Wow it's like you were looking into my soul when you made this list

Omg I haven't thought about Dark Life since I read it in middle school...the nostalgia

Oooo incredible theme here, 10/10

Suggestion: Semiosis by Sue Burke? My fiancée and I are reading (slowly lol) this together. It's about an Earth colony planet called Pax and the integration of humans into their ecosystem. There's sentient rainbow bamboo and fippocats 🩵 if it doesn't fit no worries but def check out the book anyway!

this list idea is so cool!! i'm seeing some books alr on my tbr here 👀

This is amazing! I didn’t realise this is exactly what I was looking for in most SFF until I saw this list 🤭🤭 10/10/10!!!

Cool!

Love this list! I think Annihilation by Jeff VanderMeer could work for this as well