What’s Solarpunk, And Can It Make A Greener Future Come True?

First coined in 2008, solarpunk is an aesthetic, cultural, and social movement. 

The ‘punk’ part refers to the movement’s unapologetically optimistic view of the future —

where technology, sustainability, and social innovation coexist in harmony. 

Okay, but how can it help save the planet?

Well, by envisioning a better future, climate fiction subgenres like solarpunk can play a crucial role in creating real change.

That’s because positive stories evoke feelings of joy, hope, and inspiration.

And these pleasurable emotions strengthen our connection to a story. 

This leads to something called deep narrative transportation. 

Narrative transportation —

introduced by psychologists Melanie Green and Timothy Brock in their influential 2000 paper, "The Role of Transportation in the Persuasiveness of Public Narratives”

— is a psychological concept that refers to the experience of becoming deeply absorbed in a story. 

When we experience narrative transportation, we’re less critical and more open. 

And this added level of cognitive engagement can even make us adopt a story's values and perspectives more readily.

So, while solarpunk may seem unbelievable to many, it’s part of a body of artistic and literary work that can help shift beliefs and behaviours —

making a cleaner, greener future more likely. 

After all, as Oscar Wilde famously said, “ "Life imitates art far more than art imitates life".