The Emerging Genre of Cli-Fi by Chloe Francis
The term ‘cli-fi’ was coined by journalist and activist Dan Bloom in 2008, who used it to describe ‘Hollywood movies focused on major environmental change.’[1] The term picked up speed after being used in a press release written by Bloom for a climate-focused novel Polar City Red (2012). From there it was used in December 2012 by a popular blog that used the term to describe climate change books. The writer deems cli-fi ‘a fledgling new genre’.[2] Although it may still be a ‘fledgling’ as a defined genre, climate fiction has been around for a while. An early example is the novel The Sea Around Us (1951) by Rachel L Carson, scientist and author. Winning several awards, the novel was adapted into a film in 1953 which won an Oscar.[3] Cli-fi also has roots in more recent dystopian novels such as The Road (2003) which won the Pulitzer Prize for Literature.[4]
In the contemporary market, cli-fi is being written by a range of different authors, including high profile authors such as Margaret Atwood who won the Man Booker Prize 2019. David Mitchell’s The Bone Clocks was longlisted for the Man Booker Prize 2014. Richard Powers’ The Overstory won the 2019 Pulitzer Prize for Fiction 2019 and was shortlisted for the Man Booker Prize 2018, as well as being a New York Times Bestseller. Barbara Kingsolver’s Flight Pattern also made it onto the New York Times Bestseller list. In this way we can see how cli-fi and cli-fi authors are becoming more recognised in mainstream literature. Cli-fi is also gaining tract in Young Adult fiction, possibly as this is the audience most concerned about climate change and the environment. A study done between 2015-2018 found that 51% of those aged 18-34 believed global warming ‘will pose a serious threat’ compared to only 29% of those aged 55+.[5] A study done of a small sample of Americans found that 62.1% of those who read cli-fi were aged between 18-35.[6] This confirms the assumption that it is mainly the younger generation who are reading about climate change, however this data reveals that there is a minority of older generations who are also part of the readership.
The audience majority being made up of younger people could link to the way that this demographic has been targeted by activists such as Greta Thunberg who initiated the Friday school strikes in a call to action for governments to make steps to address the climate crisis in 2018.[7] This was spread on social media with the hashtag #Fridaysforfuture, which has developed into its own website that reports on the movement and other climate-related news.[8] Thunberg’s activism has made its way into the mainstream media, reaching more people than ever before. There are more and more young adults taking part in activism, such as the ‘tens of thousands’ that were expected to turn up at Bristol on the 28th February to join Thunberg for a climate protest.[9]
Climate change has become a selling point within non-fiction books as booksellers such as Waterstones sell thousands of books on climate change, with sections on their online shop such as ‘No Planet B: Practical Steps to Save the Earth’ and ‘Fighting for Your Future: Climate Change for Kids.’[10] The fact they have a whole section dedicated towards children shows how the younger demographic are part of the target market for climate change books. Scholastic also have several books on the subject such as Planet Greta: How Greta Thunberg Wants You to Help Her Save Our Planet.[11] Scholastic is a well-known children’s publisher who sell a whole range of books on climate change, so we can see how books on the climate are beginning to creep into the mainstream of children and young adult books. The Guardian describes cli-fi books as ‘fun teaching tools’ and states that ‘what makes the cli-fi genre so important [is that] we can unintentionally learn real science.’[12] In this way, cli-fi as a fiction alternative to non-fiction media about climate change is a more accessible way to get people thinking about climate change.
Despite the genre being so new, there is a lot of marketing around it, with prolific publishing houses such as Penguin Random House publishing articles introducing readers to cli-fi: ‘So You Want to Read Cli-Fi: Here’s Where to Start’.[13] Well-respected publications such as The New York Times, The Guardian and The New Yorker have also published articles on cli-fi, including interviews with cli-fi authors, reviews and recommendations, as well as pieces explaining the genre itself. Furthermore, in 2018 Amazon released a collection of short cli-fi stories entitled Warmer as part of their Original Stories series.[14] Goodreads have published several articles listing cli-fi books, including ‘Cli-Fi: Books About Climate and the Near Future’[15], as well as having a cli-fi group forum.[16]
The genre receives largely positive reviews, although some are more mixed, such as a review by Wired deeming it to be the province of ‘doomers’, a term used to describe those who are ‘melancholic, resigned’ to the climate crisis.[17] The article reviews Jenny Offil’s Weather, stating that it ‘linger[s] in despair’.[17] In a more positive way, the publication states that this apathy ‘force[s] audiences to reckon with the fact of their giving up.’[17] However, the review still attaches a lot of negative connotations to the genre, for example calling it ‘doomer lit.’ Taking a more positive stance, a review by The New Yorker states that the Amazon cli-fi series Warmer takes on the challenge of ‘how the author or reader might chart a path between hope and hopelessness.’[14] This example of the genre appears to take less of an despairing stance and instead allows the reader to find a way to balance between the harsh reality and having hope. Again there is this idea that the genre is a tool used to force the audience to look at the present, although this article sees it as a more accessible way of exploring the issue of climate change.
The cli-fi genre is a new and highly important genre in the contemporary marketplace, offering an accessible way in which to explore the issues associated with climate change in modern day society. Statistics show that this is largely a genre read by a younger audience influenced by media surrounding climate change. However, these figures also reveal that there is nonetheless a variety of people reading cli-fi as it becomes more mainstream, with cli-fi novels becoming bestsellers, and well-known authors writing within the genre and winning prestigious awards.
References
[1] "A Chat With The Man Who Dreamt Up Cli Fi - Impakter", Impakter, 2020, [Accessed 9 March 2020].
[2] Judith Curry, "Cli-Fi", Climate Etc., 2012, [Accessed 9 March 2020].
[3] John Tuttle, "Global Warming’s Depiction In Film And The Rise Of Cli-Fi", Medium, 2018, [Accessed 9 March 2020].
[4] "The Road | Cormacmccarthy.Com", Cormacmccarthy.Com, [Accessed 9 March 2020].
[5] T. Wang, "Climate Change Concerns By Age Group In The U.S. 2018 | Statista", Statista, 2019, [Accessed 12 March 2020].
[6] Matthew Schneider-Mayerson, "The Influence Of Climate Fiction: An Empirical Survey Of Readers", Read.Dukeupress.Edu, 2018, [Accessed 12 March 2020].
[7] "What Does Greta Thunberg Want?", BBC News, 2020, [Accessed 10 March 2020].
[8] "Fridaysforfuture", Fridaysforfuture.Org, [Accessed 10 March 2020].
[9] Eleanor Busby, "Tens Of Thousands Set To Join Greta Thunberg For Climate Protest In Bristol", The Independent, 2020, [Accessed 10 March 2020].
[10] "Books On The Environment", Waterstones.Com, [Accessed 12 March 2020].
[11] "Planet Greta: How Greta Thunberg Wants You To Help Her Save Our Planet", Scholastic Shop, [Accessed 12 March 2020].
[12] John Abraham, "Clifi – A New Way To Talk About Climate Change | John Abraham", The Guardian, 2017, [Accessed 13 March 2020].
[13] "So You Want To Read Cli-Fi: Here's Where To Start | Penguin Random House", Penguinrandomhouse.Com, [Accessed 13 March 2020].
[14] Katy Waldman, "How Climate-Change Fiction, Or “Cli-Fi,” Forces Us To Confront The Incipient Death Of The Planet", The New Yorker, 2018, [Accessed 9 March 2020].
[15] "Cli-Fi: Books About Climate & The Near Future (56 Books)", Goodreads.Com, [Accessed 12 March 2020].
[16] "Climate Fiction - Cli-Fi", Goodreads, [Accessed 12 March 2020].
[17] Kate Knibbs, "The Hottest New Literary Genre Is ‘Doomer Lit’", Wired, 2020, [Accessed 14 March 2020].