Climate fiction is a genre on the rise, and I’ve taken note of this increasing prevalence, especially over the past year. Simply put, climate fiction encompasses any story that deals with climate change, whether subtly or overtly. Works in this genre have historically fallen under the speculative fiction umbrella, and are shaped by the actual science of climate change and how we observe those changes in the world around us.

Climate fiction may feature stories where environmental conditions happen in the background and set the scene, plots where the characters are actively grappling with the impacts of rapid shifts in our human environment, or even events in fictional or far-futuristic worlds where climate change has had a dramatic impact.

Anne first discussed this subgenre with a guest in 2020 during WSIRN Episode #231: Lush literary novels with page-turning appeal. Climate fiction was a definite theme in this year’s Spring Book Preview selections. In 2024, a Climate Fiction Prize was created in the U.K. The inaugural winner will be announced this May.

As I mentioned in my Books that Shaped Me post, one of my favorite genres is dystopian fiction. For many years, I read works of climate fiction that would fall within this category. More recently, and as themes of climate change show up in an increasingly broad range of works (and in my real life), I’ve been on the hunt for stories that feature hopeful outcomes. 

I appreciate reading climate fiction because the stories explore the impact of a changing earth on our lives, relationships, and communities. Living in the American West, I’ve been able to see firsthand the impacts of anthropogenic climate change, from severe drought (this collection of articles on the topic is excellent)—the 2012-2014 California drought was the most severe in 1200 years—to unprecedented wildfires as rising temperatures lengthen the burn season and result in more, and longer-lasting, fires. Climate fiction helps me to grapple with what these changes might mean and identify possible ways forward.

Perhaps you’ve also felt the impacts of our changing world and would like to see some reflections and potential solutions on the page. Or perhaps you simply enjoy reading speculative fiction. Regardless of what draws you to explore this genre, I hope you’ll find a new title or two on today’s list.

I’d love to hear about your favorite works of climate fiction, too: please share those titles in the comments section.

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Fun fact: my husband and I kept bees for several years, and look forward to doing so again in the future. Any book on the theme of bees or beekeeping instantly catches my attention. In this first book in a series, we follow three beekeepers across several centuries: William, an English biologist 1852 seeking innovation; George, a U.S. beekeeper in 2007 during a time of agricultural transition; and finally Tao, who has adapted to a 2098 China without bees. As each protagonist grapples with family, loss, and change, the story invites us to consider our relationships with each other and the natural world around us. I learned about this book when it was recommended by Anne in What Should I Read Next #231, which is a great source for additional climate fiction recommendations. Translated from the Norwegian by Diane Oatley. More info →

Paolo Bacigalupi is a consistent favorite of mine. This 2015 novel explores a drought-stricken American Southwest where water is power, and those who control it will go to any ends to keep that control. Following three different perspectives—a climate refugee, a journalist, and the titular “water knife,” a gangster of sorts—this thriller paints a vivid picture of one potential future. I enjoyed the slightly different lens of a crime thriller rather than a traditional dystopian narrative. As a resident of this part of the country, it struck particularly close to home. I read this nearly a decade ago but still consider it one of my favorite climate fiction reads. More info →

The Larsen-Hall family lives the good life in Miami, where they’re wealthy and successful, until a Category 6 hurricane wipes everything away. Suddenly, with no resources and the family separated, they must adapt to a new reality in a FEMA shelter. This literary thriller feels like it would shelve nicely alongside Rumaan Alam’s Leave The World Behind, as it explores questions of privilege lost, resilience, and humanity in the face of disaster. More info →

This dystopian YA novel follows two Nigerian sisters, Onyii and Ify, as they each dream of a better future amidst the radiation and war-torn backdrop of their home. On Earth in 2172, climate change and nuclear catastrophe have sent the wealthy and the fortunate to space, while everyone else strives to survive in spite of ongoing wars and a forbidding environment. War Girls was inspired by the true history of the 1962 Nigerian Civil War, about which I was ignorant prior to reading this book. While some of the structure and characterizations weren’t my favorite, I’m so glad I read this fresh take on a dystopian tale from Onyebuchi. Content warnings apply. More info →

Reid, a young woman in Alberta who is infected with mysterious mind-altering fungi, must choose whether to care for her mother and community or escape to one of the final remaining climate refuges that offers a life unchanged by a changing earth. Instead, she chooses a third option, and takes a chance on a risky mission that, if successful, would secure the future for her loved ones. Set against a stark landscape, Mohamad infuses hope into this tale of community care in the midst of collapse. This novella introduced me to the Aurora Awards, an annual award for the best science fiction or fantasy from Canadian authors, which I’ll now be keeping a close eye on for future additions to my TBR list. More info →

This 2017 novel by Canadian-Egyptian Omar El Akkad taught me the literary name for one of my favorite storytelling mechanisms: historiographic metafiction. American War follows Sarat, a climate refugee who was a young child at the start of the Second American Civil War. As the country battles over fossil fuels and a large number of citizens are displaced by climate change, Sarat befriends a mysterious stranger and slowly becomes radicalized. This was one of those books that stopped me in my tracks multiple times as I rolled a phrase or a sentence around in my brain, appreciating the author’s lyrical and truthful language. The story felt real, true, possible, and in some elements perhaps prescient. I’d be curious to re-read it now and see how it has held up over time. Content warnings apply. More info →

Sherri L Smith, who you may know from her 2009 book Flygirl, offers a creative and layered dystopian tale. In Orleans (formerly New Orleans), now separated from the Outer States of America by a wall and left to fend for itself amidst a flooded landscape and Delta Fever, Fen de la Guerre finds herself in charge of an orphan and is determined to get the child to safety beyond the wall. When she encounters Daniel—a scientist with his own agenda who has entered Orleans illegally—they’ll have to work together to survive. Smith paints a vivid yet intermittently hopeful picture of what life after climate change could look like; the resilience of the earth and the underlying goodness of humanity stand out as themes in this YA novel. More info →

Fifteen-year-old Emi Vargas is the child of heroes: her parents helped save the world during the climate crisis. But that doesn’t mean life is simple or easy in Nuuk, Greenland, where her family now lives after winning the housing lottery. When a series of assassinations coincides with Emi’s mother’s disappearance, Emi and her father Larch strike out in search of her and of answers. The Great Transition jumps between three points of view: Emi’s current day and Larch’s memories of the peak years of the climate crisis are each told in alternating first-person chapters, while her mother’s recollections of her own journey is creatively told through the lens of Emi’s oral history school project. I appreciated how this story focused on the possibility of change and solutions from grassroots efforts, its focus on mutual aid, and vision of a fragile but positive future. Content warnings apply. More info →

This story has been described as both an environmental fable and a fantasy novella, and I can add both categories to my favorites list because I loved it! When a nomadic community comes under threat from their technologically advanced neighbors, Thurava, a young herder girl, must decide if she will abandon her heritage or find a new path forward that will preserve her community. A thoughtful read with evocative touches like chapters bearing the names of constellations as known to Thurava’s people, it speaks to the threat of technology and environmental destruction while also offering a reflection on culture, community, and consumption. I discovered this fall 2024 release via past Summer Reading Guide author Sarena Ulibarri. I hope to see Teffeau at a future book event in our shared home state of New Mexico. More info →

A story of survival, evolution, and home structured in four thematic parts, this dystopian novel follows Wanda, a child born in the midst of an unprecedented hurricane that changed Florida forever. As Wanda grows, we see a changing Florida through her eyes and adapt alongside her to this new reality. This 2022 novel was my re-entry point to reading this subgenre after taking a break during the initial years of the pandemic, and I found it to be beautifully written with a great balance of the bleak and the hopeful. More info →

What if the Knights of the Round Table were awoken any time Britain faced a crisis? That’s the question posed by Lee in this wry and unique spin on the Arthurian legend. We start the story as Kay, Arthur’s brother, is awoken to help save Britain once more but this time the threat isn’t Nazis or Napoleon, it’s climate change, dragons awoken by fracking factories, and rising oceans. Featuring creative reimaginings of the Arthurian cast of characters from Lancelot to Morgan le Fay, I’d recommend this to anyone in search of a little levity and British humor with their climate change reading. Content warnings apply. More info →

Climate fiction ranges from the subtly hopeful to the deeply apocalyptic, and Markley’s novel definitely falls on the more depressing end of that spectrum. A slow moving tale of collapse, resistance, and the structures of power and control that shape our modern world, it follows a handful of characters across decades as they strive to adapt to and fight back against a changing world. I read this in late 2024, and was shocked by the parallels of one particular scene and the January 2025 fires that ravaged Los Angeles. This could have used a bit more editing in a few spots, but ultimately I found it a satisfying and thought provoking read. Content warnings apply. More info →

This hefty work of political climate fiction opens with a deadly heat wave in India. From there, the novel embarks on a creative exploration of what we could actually do to turn the ship of climate change, if only we were sufficiently committed, led, and willing to think outside of the proverbial box. While this book features its share of catastrophe, the reading experience was much more hopeful than I expected, and it features unique elements like chapters told from the perspective of resources/inputs (like the sun!). You may recall this title from What Should I Read Next #394: Our team’s best books of summer, where it was one of my bonus picks. It’s one of those titles I just keep coming back to and can’t stop thinking about or recommending. Content warnings apply. More info →

I have a particular soft spot for the solarpunk subgenre, which you may recognize in the works of Becky Chambers or Sarena Ulibarri, and I’d place this novel in that category. We’re taken to the floating arctic city of Qaanaaq, where much of humanity has fled following rising seas. Qaanaaq faces its share of issues—racism and class struggle, government corruption, and questions regarding the role of advanced technology have all persisted in this new climate refuge. Then one day a mysterious woman arrives in town with a killer whale and a giant polar bear. The story continues through the points of view of four individuals, each with their own unique place in society and perspective. This book kicks off with a decent amount of worldbuilding, but I found the initial investment of effort more than paid off. Content warnings apply. More info →

Do you have any favorite climate fiction reads? Please share in the comments.

P.S. 15 absorbing nonfiction fiction books to inspire your inner scientist, Science Fiction/Fantasy for beginners, and 15 books for budding botanists.

About the author

Holly Wielkoszewski is our What Should I Read Next Media Production Specialist. Her go-to genres are Fantasy and Sci-Fi. You can follow Holly on her Substack: A Liminal Life.