Dig Your Toes into the Dirt: Solarpunk Futures
"We’re solarpunks because the only other options are denial or despair” - Adam Flynn Solarpunk is a genre of sci-fi that has emerged as a response to modern problems: climate change, technofascism, and rising individualism at the expense of community. Solarpunk is inherently optimistic and envisions the future I would want to live in.
created by KatieV
last updated April, 2026
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Katieeee this should be an insta side quest! You're so good at this !!
KatieVOP
thank you Mari! this is really just my selfish way of trying to recruit buddy readers for the year 😇
What is Solarpunk? Solarpunk is a genre of sci-fi that envisions an optimistic future. It is imaginative, joyful, community and justice oriented, and emphasizes living in harmony with our world. Solarpunk tends to be decolonial and moves beyond the gender binary.
Solarpunk was coined in 2008 by an anonymous blogger in their post "From Steampunk to Solarpunk" on their blog "The Republic of Bees". The author imagines a future in which an "interest in older technologies is driven by modern world economics" - for example, cargo ships powered by huge sails instead of oil. Adam Flynn in his essay "Solarpunk: Notes toward a manifesto" describes solarpunk as focusing on "ingenuity, generativity, independence, and community - https://hieroglyph.asu.edu/2014/09/solarpunk-notes-toward-a-manifesto/ and 🔗link.
The word "punk" is included in the name because it is intentionally oppositional. Punk is specifically anti-autoritarianism, anti-consumerist, and anti-capitalist. Solarpunk embraces these characteristics and moves them into the future, asking "so what?" "what comes next?" and "what do we build from here?".
The aesthetics are: miyzaki movies, art nouveau, joyful, natural textures, reduce reuse recycle , do-it-your-self, handcrafted items, slow fashion, art for art's sake.
thank you for making this list! I didn't know Solarpunk as a term was so recent, definitely reading the link you've provided
KatieVOP
me as well! im hoping to grow this list as more books are published in this genre!
crossing all my fingers for less of "everything-is-doomed" and more of "ok-but-what-can-we-do-about-it" in SFF please 💫🙂↕️🤞
OOOOOH I absolutely love solar punk and was looking into creating a list so this comes at the perfect time!! 🤩☀️ It's one of my favourite movements because it's so hopeful and I'm so glad more people are talking about it (at least that's how it feels to me because a lot of people in my bubble have started talking about it). Thank you so much for this list! 🙂↕️
KatieVOP
No truly it gets me so fired up and excited and hopeful!! We should buddy read one of these books sometime soon 👀
yes, exactly!! I love being optimistic about things ✊🙂↕️ and yes, we absolutely should!! Do you have one you'd want to start with?
KatieVOP
I still have never read ministry for the future but have been meaning to for years, any interest in starting there?
That sounds good, I was also planning on reading that one this year 🤗 I currently don't own it and my library has a waiting time for several months but I'll see if I can find it secondhand somewhere and will report back when it arrives!
KatieVOP
That sounds great! I plan on buying that one so I can be flexible ☺️
I've not heard of this term before but I love it, thanks for sharing!
I’ve never heard of solar punk before, but love the idea of sci-fi focusing on climate change and technofascism! Will definitely be checking some of these out. Thanks for the great list, Katie 🥰🌞
Holy shit I didn't know this genre existed, but I need this in my life immediately!! Thanks for compiling this list!!!
KatieVOP
It’s a somewhat recent discovery for me as well! Really trying to read more of these books in 2026!
Oh I love this! If you take recommendations, add "Strange Bedfellows" by Ariel Slamet Ries to the list. It is a sci-fi graphic novel with fantastical elements, set in a solarpunk future, following a trans man navigating gaining dream powers :)
KatieVOP
Ooo that sounds like a great addition to the list - thank you for the rec!
UM LOVEEEEEE WOW
