Representation of Climate Change in Contemporary Fiction and Its Influence on Students’ Environmental Awareness and Activism
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.55737/trt/v-iv.235Keywords:
Climate Fiction (Cli-Fi), Environmental Awareness, Climate Change Communication, Student Activism, Narrative Transportation Theory, Environmental SustainabilityAbstract
This study investigates the portrayal of climate change in recent fiction and examines its influence on students’ environmental awareness and activism in Pakistan. The aim of the study is to explore how climate fiction shapes students’ emotions, attitudes, and behavioral intentions toward environmental issues through the lens of Narrative Transportation Theory. Climate change is one of the most pressing crises of the twenty-first century, impacting ecosystems, economies, and human societies all over the world. While there is a large number of scientific reports about the environmental problem, many of these do not generate sufficient emotional response on the side of the general public. Climate fiction (cli-fi), a term often used for this type of fiction, or “cli-fi,” can consequently prove to be a valuable cultural means of conveying messages surrounding the environment. This article is an analysis of recent fiction's representation of climate change and how it affects the attitude of students towards climate change and action in Pakistan. Based on the Narrative Transportation Theory, the study examines the impact of fictional stories on the students' emotions, attitude, and environmental behavior. The article is a mix of theory and quantitative research among the students of a university in Punjab, Pakistan. The study finds that climate fiction enhances environmental awareness, emotional concern, and intentions for sustainable behavior by fostering empathy and ecological responsibility. However, it also notes that emotional awareness does not always translate to sustained activism. Moreover, climate fiction is proposed as an effective educational tool for raising environmental awareness, particularly among younger generations.
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