Climate Change as Reflected in Film and World Literature (Part 1) (Roundtable)


Cultural Studies and Media Studies / Interdisciplinary Humanities

Annette Magid (SUNY Erie Community College)

Climate change is an important issue that has become a frequent topic in 20th- as well as 21st-century literature and film. From science fiction of the past to the present-day speculative fiction, this roundtable presents an opportunity to provide and study examples both past and present regarding climate change issues in literature and film. Dystopias written by international writers reflect the world-wide concern regarding climate change. For example, novelists such as British-born Maggie Gee's The Flood or French-born Pierre Boulle’s La Planète des singes [The Planet of the Apes] speculate on the possibility of climate changes causing devastating destruction. What do other writers, sci-fi, and fiction/fantasy predict for the future of our climate and environmental sustainability? How do doomsday writers compare to actual science writers in the present day? In the shadow of the COVID-19 coronavirus pandemic, how do climate issues relate to the environmental and economic health of the world? Many other issues related directly and peripherally to environmental sustainability could be included in the discussion during this roundtable session.

From science fiction of the past to the present-day speculative fiction, this roundtable presents an opportunity to provide and study examples both past and present regarding climate change issues in literature and film. Dystopias written by international writers reflect the world-wide concern regarding climate change. In the shadow of the COVID-19 coronavirus pandemic, how do climate issues relate to the environmental and economic health of the world? Many other issues related directly and peripherally to environmental sustainability could be included in the discussion during this roundtable session.