Young adults across the UK are being asked to name the novels that changed how they see the planet. The University of Wolverhampton has launched a study exploring whether climate fiction can shape attitudes towards environmental challenges.
Dr Peter Harvey, a post-doctoral research fellow at the university, said the project needs recommendations from readers aged 18 to 25. “We want to know what young people are currently reading and what stories they’ve found helpful in thinking about their own futures,” he said. Participants complete a short online survey naming the novels or stories that influenced their view of what lies ahead.
The research arrives after a June that delivered the UK’s highest ever temperature for the month, 37.7°C, during a heatwave scientists concluded would have been virtually impossible without human-caused climate change. Across the UK, around 80% of young adults say they are moderately or significantly worried about climate change, and more than a quarter report the anxiety interferes with daily life.
Formal climate education remains patchy. Only 18% of teachers feel properly trained to cover the topic, and just 17% say it appears in core subjects beyond science and geography. Dr Harvey believes fiction could reach where the curriculum cannot. “If we’re going to meet the challenges posed by climate change, we’re going to need to do more than just understand the science,” he said. “We need to tell new stories about our relationship with the natural world, and about how we can build a positive future while looking after the planet we live on.”
The survey is open now, and the research team hopes submissions will help them map which kinds of storytelling offer young people resilience rather than despair.
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