Climate change fiction is a growing trend.

Often the writer seeks to engage the reader about the realities of climate change, where science statistics cannot. These novels are often dystopian in nature, warning the reader not to be complacent and also serving as a wake-up call that society needs to act now to prevent further disaster, and add their voice to the international debate over carbon emissions. Some writers take a more utopian approach, imagining ways in which humanity might respond positively to the crisis. The following is a selection of titles on this topic available at Dunedin Public Libraries:

Clade. James Bradley
Three generations are covered in this book from the very near future to late this century. Central to the novel is the family of Adam, a scientist, and his wife Ellie, an artist.  Ellie wants a child and Adam is in a quandary about the wisdom of this. Their daughter proves to be an elusive little girl and then a troubled teenager, and by now cracks have appeared in her parents' marriage. Their grandson is in turn a troubled boy, but when his character reappears as an adult he's an astronomer, one set to discover something astounding in the universe. The story takes us forward through the decades, through disasters and plagues, miraculous small moments and acts of great courage. 

The End We Start From. Megan Hunter
As London is submerged below flood waters, a woman gives birth to her first child, Z. Soon after, the family is forced to move to find safety. As they move from place to place, against all odds, baby Z grows and thrives. Although the world as they knew it has become dangerous and unstable, love guides this family through to hope for their future.

Hollow Earth. John Kinsella
Fascinated by caves since childhood, Manfred discovers a path through to another realm via a Neolithic copper mine at Mount Gabriel in Schull, Ireland. The world of Hollow Earth, while no Utopia, is a sophisticated civilisation. Its genderless inhabitants are respectful of their environment, religious and cultural differences are accommodated without engendering hate or suspicion.  Yet Ari and Zest decide to accompany Manfred back to the surface world, and become seduced by its temptations.

The Wall. John Lanchester
Ravaged by the Change, an island nation has built the Wall―an enormous concrete barrier around its entire coastline. Joseph Kavanagh, a new Defender, has one task: to protect his section of the Wall from the 'Others', the desperate souls who are trapped amid the rising seas outside. Failure will result in death or being put to sea and made an 'Other' himself.  Kavanagh struggles to fulfill his duties to his demanding Captain and Sergeant, even as he grows closer to his fellow Defenders. A dark part of him wonders whether it would be interesting if something did happen, if they came, if he had to fight for his life…

The End of the Ocean. Maja Lunde
In 2019, seventy-year-old Signe sets sail alone on a hazardous voyage across the ocean in a sailboat.  In 2041, David and his young daughter, Lou, flee from a drought-stricken Southern Europe that has been ravaged by thirst and war.  They discover an ancient sailboat in a dried-out garden, miles away from the nearest shore. Signe’s sailboat. As David and Lou discover Signe’s personal effects, her long ago journey becomes inexorably linked to their own.

The Glad Shout. Alice Robinson
After a catastrophic storm destroys Melbourne, Isobel flees to higher ground with her husband and young daughter. Food and supplies run low, panic sets in and still no help arrives. To protect her daughter, Isobel must take drastic action.

SEE ALSO:
The Warming. Craig Ensor
Flight Behavior. Barbara Kingsolver
The Ice. Laline Paull
Barkskins.  Annie Proulx
Aurora. Kim Stanley Robinson
Daughter of Bad Times. Rohan Wilson