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Climate Fiction (Cli-Fi) and Public Imagination: Themes and Reception

Author: Kakembo Aisha Annet
Publisher: NEWPORT INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF LAW, COMMUNICATION AND LANGUAGES (NIJLCL)
Published: 2026
Section: Faculty of Education

Abstract

Climate fiction (Cli-Fi) has emerged as a significant literary and cultural genre that explores climate change and 
its socio-environmental consequences while shaping public understanding and engagement with ecological crises. 
This study examines the relationship between cli-fi and public imagination, focusing on the thematic structures 
and reception dynamics that influence how climate narratives are interpreted across different cultural and media 
contexts. The paper explores key themes including Anthropocene narratives and responsibility, environmental 
justice and vulnerability, technological mediation, temporal horizons, and the unequal impacts of climate change 
on diverse populations. It further investigates how cli-fi functions across multiple media forms such as literature, 
film, television, and interactive platforms in shaping collective perceptions of climate risks and future possibilities. 
Through the lens of reception studies, media ecology, and interdisciplinary approaches, the study analyzes the 
ways audiences engage with climate narratives and how these narratives influence climate awareness, public 
discourse, and policy considerations. The findings suggest that cli-fi operates not merely as a literary genre but as 
a cultural mechanism that facilitates critical reflection on climate realities and socio-political responsibility. The 
study concludes that cli-fi plays an important role in expanding climate consciousness, encouraging environmental 
engagement, and fostering new modes of imagining sustainable futures.