Launching now, Murder in the Climate Assembly is a contemporary literary fiction novel that weaves moral philosophy, climate policies and elements of the popular whodunnit genre into an engaging story.
This original take on the traditional campus novel addresses broad themes of what justice means in an age of climate change. The story grapples with one of the most pressing questions of our age:
What do we do when our current systems are leading us to planetary destruction?
I’m excited to report that an adaptation of this story for TV won the Writing Climate Pitchfest, 2024, and is under consideration by Hollywood producers. The central whodunnit in the novel also operates as a standalone play which was staged in 2024.Climate Assembly is available to buy for a limited period direct from our website.
Synopsis
Iris Tate begins a new job as Professor of Moral Philosophy, hoping to find simpatico new colleagues. Instead, she finds herself in a small clique of malcontents: Percy, the fierce Head of English; Marcel, a revolutionary history professor, and GG who likes to make her students cry with miserable music. She also finds a bitter rival in Colin, the Assistant Dean.
Repressing grief, guilt and loss, Iris is looking for distraction. This comes when the Director of Public Prosecutions contacts her with a dilemma. He must decide whether to prosecute a murder which took place in a citizens’ assembly on climate and wants her professional help.
The stakes are high. For the first time, citizens’ assemblies have been granted actual power. The media frenzy resulting from a murder would mean the end of this form of direct democracy, which many believe could be the silver bullet to avert a climate crisis. Young people versed in moral philosophy are the ideal group to consult, but confidentiality is crucial.
Iris cannot resist. People assume philosophy lacks real-world implications and she’s keen to prove them wrong.
When the Dean proposes the controversial concept of ‘edutainment,’ Iris takes this chance to devise a moral philosophy course based on a whodunnit that all assume is hypothetical – a murder in a climate assembly. The variety of characters she creates provide an entertaining source of ethical dilemmas, and all relate to the proposed climate policies in different ways.
But what the students don’t know is that the ultimate dilemma is very real, and their conclusions will have far-reaching consequences.
Review
‘Having assessed this novel, I was struck first by its deft and unusual use of form to create a kaleidoscopic and deeply clever narrative. At once a commentary on the looming responsibility of the climate crisis and our ever-shrinking opportunity to enact meaningful change, and a far from conventional whodunnit, the book plays with the notion of what is moral and what is right.
Complicit in the book’s central sprawling philosophical dilemma, the reader finds themselves judge, jury and executioner in the case of the century. While the novel tackles prescient and troubling themes and poses difficult questions (how far should we go for the greater good?), it does so with a sense of dry humour and a delightful eye for the absurd.
Above all, the warmth and resilience of its ineffable protagonist suffuses the narrative and, as the story ends, we struggle to leave her behind. Not only is this a timely, thought-provoking and essential story in an age of urgent, innovative climate action that demands the attention of us all, it is a thoroughly enjoyable read. Funny, memorable, characterful and original.’
Miles Hawkley, senior editor of The Literary Studio, reproduced with permission
Why has a professor of sustainability taken to fiction?
I want to reach a mainstream audience who might never choose to watch a climate documentary.
I also find storytelling a more engaging way to introduce people to climate policies. Usually in business or government, stakeholder analysis is used to see who benefits or loses out by any policy and how. These can be very dry and it can be hard to engage with the real impacts emotionally as the groups affected can seem distant. This story-within-a-story set in a citizens’ assembly on climate shows stakeholders as real people meaning we identify with them and their needs more easily. We can then view any policy from the perspective of a variety of people, all of whom have a unique relationship to the proposal.
Extracts
Below are extracts that highlight different elements of the novel. I tried to avoid spoilers, and it may not make full sense out of context, but the goal is to give a flavour of how humour, mystery, philosophy and policies that address the systemic causes of climate change are woven together with the personal story of the key protagonist.
