As we move into an era of increased climate instability, scientific analysis of climate change is central to our understanding of physical systems of our planet and the impact of these systems on human life. Science fiction (sf), the distinctive literary form of our time, bridges elite and popular cultures and broadly engages enthusiasts and scholars alike in the work of imagining our possible futures. These areas of scientific, intellectual, and artistic inquiry – climate studies and sf – converge in the new field of “climate fiction”: print and graphic fiction and film grounded in scientific realities of environmental change, and projecting the resulting transformations of our societies, politics, and cultures.
“Imagining Climate Change” will engage authors, scholars, scientists, and the general public in the vital work of imagining our collective climate futures. The Spring 2016 colloquium will bring award-winning and influential French and American sf authors and climate scientists to the UF campus to dialogue with UF faculty and researchers in the humanities, climate studies, and water management, and to explore new ways of representing and responding to environmental change. Our conversations will aim at a better understanding of potential collaborations between science, fiction, and art on one of the most pressing global crises of our time.
The Spring 2016 colloquium begins on Wednesday, February 17, with a plenary roundtable co-hosted by the UF Water Institute as part of the Institute’s 5th Biennial Symposium. Introduced by UF President W. Kent Fuchs and Cynthia Barnett of UF’s College of Journalism and Communications, the roundtable will feature Tobias Buckell, Jay Famiglietti, Jay Famiglietti, Yann Quero, and Jeff VanderMeer.
The colloquium concludes on Thursday, February 18 with individual talks by Tobias Buckell, Christian Chelebourg, Jay Famiglietti, Yann Quero, and Jeff VanderMeer, and responses by UF faculty from the Departments of English, Geological Sciences, and Spanish and Portuguese Studies.
All events are presented in English or simultaneous English translation and are free and open to the public. Admission to the ICC opening plenary does not require registration for the UF Water Institute’s Biennial Symposium. See http://imagining-climate.clas.ufl.edu for a schedule of event locations and times. For additional information, contact Terry Harpold <tharpold@ufl.edu> or Alioune Sow <sow@ufl.edu>.
