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Positive approach

I make use of a popular genre – the whodunnit, and also humour to reach mainstream readers and move beyond preaching to the converted. You can see examples of humour in the extract under Fantastic Characters, especially extracts 3 and 4. My research shows that solution-focused stories are more effective than problem focused stories in inspiring pro-environmental behaviour (e.g. Baden, D. (2019). Solution focused stories are more effective than catastrophic stories in motivating pro-environmental intentions. Ecopsychology11(4). More on https://www.dabaden.com/speaking-events/#RC Trying to scare people green using dystopian climate fiction can have unintended consequences such as support for right wing leaders and buying up the toilet rolls. My approach therefore is to focus on solutions and what we can do at a societal level (e.g. see box of replacing GDP with a wellbeing index) and personal level. I also try to include positive visions of what a sustainable society might look like if we do it well. Extract 1 for example gives a sense of how nice cities will be with electric public transport and reminds us how far we’ve already come. Extract 2 is from the whodunnit and again provides hope to keep us going. The context is that the detective is watching footage of debates in the climate assembly. Extract 3 is another section from the whodunnit that paints a picture of how society can be transformed. Extract 4 gives examples of both societal level policies such as citizens assemblies, and practical tips on eco-friendly gardening.

Extract 1

….Richard exhaled slowly and sat back in his chair. There were now two more suspects.… It wasn’t going to help him wrap this up any quicker. He no longer minded. The way things were at home, frankly, it would just be awkward if he was there the whole time. He stood up and walked to the window and gazed out at the London skyline. Big Ben was lit up, its reflection glimmering gold on the inky blackness of the Thames. Opposite, the London Eye was illuminated by an ethereal purple, pink glow. When he’d first started here, thirty years ago, he’d been blown away by the view. It was even more impressive now. Back in the nineties, the London air had been thick with exhaust, and he’d come home filthy every night. The city had cleaned up once they’d banned leaded petrol, and now it sparkled. Soon the city would become quieter as electric cars replaced the old engines. Or maybe demand-led buses would take over entirely. Would he even notice, retired in the country? He supposed they’d come into town now and then for the theatre. But the days of putting on their glad rags for an evening out seemed far away.

Extract 2

SARAH: Naomi, you were right!

Naomi looks up surprised.

NAOMI: I was?

SARAH: We need to be more positive. Yes Lincoln got shot, but they overturned slavery in the end. When you look at history, there are positive tipping points too.

NEEDLES: I remember when the NHS and the welfare state came in. Changed things overnight they did.

SARAH: Exactly. For years I’ve been tearing my hair out waiting for change that never came and suddenly, it’s happening. The historic treaty to protect the world’s oceans. This citizens’ jury is a tipping point in the right direction for once. Personal carbon allowances – finally a policy that will be truly transformative.

Extract 3

‘If we vote for this, will it really happen?’ Naomi asked.

‘Yes,’ said Sarah.

Naomi’s eyes welled up with tears.

‘It won’t be that bad, reassured Sarah. ‘With everyone on board, it won’t be long before you get your Gold Card membership for the library of things. You can gad about by bus wherever and whenever at little cost and rural economies will be transformed. Life will be cheaper. You’ll gain in confidence as you learn to value your stuff, learn how to maintain it. You’ll have space in your homes. Picture the roads with no parked cars, no traffic jams. You’ll have more time to take slow transport, you’ll still have holidays. And you won’t need to be resentful of others who aren’t doing their bit, or guilty for wanting a beefburger because you’ll have your own allotted personal carbon allowance that’s yours to do as you like with. Be green and richer or high-consuming and pay the full cost.’

Naomi gazed up at her through red-rimmed eyes. ‘What’s the catch?’ she whispered.

‘We all have to agree. It has to be unanimous,’ said Sarah.

Everyone looked at Steve.

Extract 4

Richard was feeling the pressure. He’d developed a reputation for laser-sharp thinking and now he had to live up to it. He paced up and down his office, soon to be someone else’s. Books of law and legal precedents lined the shelves. Pot plants that after thriving for years, he’d somehow let die in the final few weeks. It had been his home from home for years but now it felt like a prison. He was trapped. The closer he came to solving the case, the closer he came to saying goodbye to his chances of grandchildren, because Sarah was right. Once they declared there had been a murder, the Prime Minister and his cronies would use that as an excuse to shut down citizens’ juries. The House of Lords, that bastion of privilege and archaic relic of the past would remain. The promised House of Citizens would be over before it had begun. Nonetheless he had a job to do.

He left his office abruptly and headed towards the park where he often ate his lunch. He strolled among the roses, processing everything he’d seen and heard. Barry’s comment about the hug was the one thing that Richard couldn’t explain. Barry said, ‘It’s always the nice guys that get assassinated.’ Was that when the idea took hold? Because Steve wasn’t a nice guy. Barry’s wife works nights, he works days. They have three young children. I bet it’s been a while. Could he be the worm that turned?

Marnie’s into worms now. And she’s letting the aphids eat the roses – they’re part of the food chain apparently. The wildlife gardener told her to avoid pesticides as they kill the natural predators of aphids too. Hoverflies, ladybirds, parasitic wasps will eat the aphids, so you let them be. They’re doing you a service. The enemy of your enemy is your friend kind of thing.

Richard paused, gazing at the roses as a thought bubbled up, frustratingly out of reach. It felt important. He didn’t chase it but walked on. He’d learned that it would come when he wasn’t looking.

It came when he was back at his desk. He picked up the phone. It was time to get them altogether.