Solarpunk

Solarpunk is a movement/genre in speculative fiction, art, society, and life in general. The goal is to bring to fruition a realistic future that we actually want to have. It's not steampunk (looking back at an alternate past) or cyberpunk (looking forward at a dystopian future). It's radical and optimistic and it questions the "more better faster" ideas that are popular today. It focuses on clean energy (hence the "solar") and opposition to oppression and inequality (hence the "punk").


Solarpunk Resources

This is a collection of my favorite solarpunk articles/blogs/things. If you know of something that I might like or you think should go on this list, send me an email!

Solarpunk: Notes toward a manifesto by Adam Flynn

"We’re solarpunks because the only other options are denial or despair." This is one of the original articles about solarpunk and it builds the ideas of "infrastructure as a form of resistance" and working to make a better future right here and right now. It also touches on some of the aesthetics of solarpunk.

Interview with Adam Flynn on Solarpunk at dragonfly.eco

This is an interview with the author of the above post, expanding on some of the ideas and aspects of solarpunk.

A Solarpunk Manifesto by ReDes

A manifesto and clear vision of what solarpunk is about - also available in many other languages.

What is Solarpunk? by Connor Owens

A more detailed article about what a solarpunk future would look like and some of the things we can build now to get there.

On the Political Dimensions of Solarpunk by Andrew Dana Hudson

"... I believe the enormity of our problems doesn’t have to paralyze us. Quite the opposite: seeing the world as it is is vital if you are going to figure out how it could be. Now is the moment to be galvanized, to know that we are on to something, and to make acting on these ideas a real part of our lives." This is a great article that talks about working with the reality of the world as it is right now and building a better world from within the struggles of the current one. One of my favorites.

7 reasons why solarpunk is the most important speculative fiction movement in the last 20 years by K. D. Hume

This post talks about solarpunk as a genre, but one of the powerful things about solarpunk is that it's both a genre and a movement. This future is within reach as long as we act on it. Solarpunk is bright and hopeful and deeply rooted in the environment.

Solarpunk: we are golden, and our future is bright by RoAnna Sylva

"Just because something is optimistic doesn’t make it silly or trite. Hope is not something to be scoffed at. It’s the only thing that will keep the world functioning." This article contrasts solarpunk with gritty scifi and argues that we need to start building and imagining brighter futures. Dystopias have their place in fiction, but when that's the only vision of the future we see, it's not encouraging.

Solarpunk Anarchist Solutions to Global Problems: A Quick List by Connor Owens

A post explaining some solarpunk anarchist solutions to today's problems - yet more ideas for this solarpunk vision of the future.

Explainer: ‘solarpunk’, or how to be an optimistic radical by Jennifer Hamilton

This article talks about the optimism of solarpunk (in contrast with cli-fi) and imagining a radical future.

The Future will be Technical by Zach Mandeville

"The philosophy of the modern web has saturated our world so thoroughly that corporate goals have the appearance of common sense." A modular essay on the modern state of the internet and how we can break free by embracing our technical side. One of my favorites.

Solarpunk Inspiration

Universitas by Dustin Jacobus

An art book of solarpunk cities.


You may also want to look at the things on my links page!


Getting Involved

If solarpunk sounds like something you'd be into or you want to learn more, there are plenty of ways to get involved! Bringing solarpunk into your daily life is a cool way to work towards a sustainable future :)

Things to look into: