"Climate Fiction as Future-Making: Why Cli-Fi is More Than Just Representation In the face of escalating climate crises, climate fiction—or cli-fi—has become a vital genre for imagining possible futures. But how exactly does it help us confront the challenges ahead? A new article published in Future Humanities (2025) by Roman Bartosch and Julia Hoydis, titled "Climate Fiction as Future‐Making: Narrative and Cultural Modelling Beyond Representation," offers a fresh perspective. Moving away from debates about accurate "representation" of climate change, the authors argue that cli-fi serves as a powerful form of cultural modelling that actively shapes our collective imaginaries. Beyond Representation: The Limits of the Old Approach Traditional critiques of cli-fi often focus on whether stories adequately depict the realities of climate change—its slow violence, extreme events, or scientific accuracy. While valid, this representational lens comes with a "didactic bias," treating fiction primarily as a tool to educate or persuade readers toward action. Bartosch and Hoydis push back, suggesting this view instrumentalizes literature and overlooks its deeper potential. Instead, they emphasize how engaging with cli-fi influences our climate imaginaries: the shared norms, values, and practices that guide how societies envision and prepare for the future. Cli-Fi as Cultural Modelling Drawing from model theory in science and philosophy, the authors reposition cli-fi as cultural modelling. Scientific climate models excel at predicting probabilities but often ignore human ethics, emotions, and behaviors. Fiction fills this gap by creating immersive worlds where readers experiment with values and responses. These narrative models maintain an "identity difference"—similar enough to reality to resonate, yet different enough to provoke reflection. In extreme scenarios, cli-fi combines foresight, ethical agitation, and imaginative speculation, helping us integrate questions of justice and resilience into climate discourse. Case Studies: Intergenerational Justice in Action To ground their theory, the authors examine two works centered on intergenerational injustice: The High House (2021) by Jessie Greengrass: Set in a flooded near-future Britain, the novel follows survivors in a prepared refuge. It explores everyday acts of care amid loss, questioning the ethics of childbearing and responsibility in a collapsing world. Its ambivalent ending invites readers to model resilience without false hope. Flood (2018) by Rory Mullarkey: This allegorical play depicts survivors on an ark-like vessel debating leadership, solidarity, and survival. Blending biblical and dystopian elements, it provokes audience reflection on collective ethics and human adaptability. Both works go beyond depicting disaster, modelling affective and behavioral responses to ethical dilemmas. Why This Matters for Our Future By framing cli-fi as cultural modelling, Bartosch and Hoydis highlight the humanities' unique role in climate conversations. Science provides data; fiction bridges to values and imaginaries. This approach could transform education, policy, and public engagement, reminding us that shaping better futures starts with imagining them. In a time of crisis, cli-fi isn't just stories—it's practice for the worlds we're building, one narrative at a time. Read the full article here (open access via institutions or PDF links)."