Literature and Climate Change: when fiction becomes reality

Climate change is the most important issue that future generations have to face. It already is affecting our planet heavily, and it has for decades, without us noticing. This phenomenon hides a history of wrong decisions, corporate greed, and human inaction. This elaborate has the goal to explore climate change’s history firstly, from the early suspicions of greenhouse gas to oil companies’ part in misleading the public and the series of international legislation enforced through the years to tackle this matter. Literature has the central role of helping readers understand climate change, using various forms like novels and essays and expanding its reach with new genres like eco poetry and climate fiction. Octavia E. Butler is identified as the pioneer of the climate fiction genre, also known as cli-fi. In her Parable series and reported statements, it is also possible to observe her farsightedness on how the world would evolve, shaped by climate change and social inequalities, especially in the United States. Furthermore, contemporary policies regulating emissions along with present-day activism are going to be analyzed, including the new figures influencing today’s social, political, and artistic scenery. The study has the aim to show that once again, literature inspires readers and the public to act in favor of the environment and choose to pursue a greater good, allowing human history to continue.