We’re excited to share Anthropocene's newest and most forward-looking project—an innovative short fiction series called "The Climate Parables.” 

Funded by a two-year grant from the Rasmussen Foundation, the project builds on the reality that survival in the Anthropocene depends on upgrading not just our technology, but also our collective imagination. To that end, we’re engaging the powerful imaginative forces of science fiction—the hard science, non-fantastical variety popularized by authors such as Arthur C. Clarke, Isaac Asimov, Annalee Newitz, and Kim Stanley Robinson—the last of whom has signed up to help lead the project.

The Climate Parables will commission, publish, and stage climate reporting from the future. These tales of invention and clever adaptation will let readers, audiences, and viewers experience what it’s like to live in a future in which humans discovered creative ways to mitigate climate change and harness new technology and science to work with nature, rather than against it. 

If you’d like to learn more, contact kathy.kohm@futureearth.org. And look for the first stories coming out in early 2022.

Future Earth has partnered with UN-Habitat and the Global Covenant of Mayors for the Innovate4Cities Conference. The conference will bring together innovative research and science to help cities tackle Climate Change challenges. The global five-day virtual Conference covering science and innovation, partnerships driving inclusive, resilient, and climate-neutral cities, runs from 11 to 15 October 2021 and is expected to attract over 1,000 city leaders, scientists, researchers, innovators, academics, youth and business leaders.

The Future Earth community is well placed to play a key role in this conference - as many have city-relevant research and innovation activities to inform decision-makers and other stakeholders. Together with the recent announcement that the IPCC has joined in the partnership we hope to make a difference. You can reserve your virtual seat via www.innovate4cities.org/2021.

A group of 11 motivated and excellent applicants from around the world were selected as 2021s’ Early Career Champions to attend and support the Sustainability Research and Innovation Congress 2021 (SRI2021). Five Champions also spoke during the closing plenary alongside Imme Scholz and John Agard, Co-chairs of the Independent Group of Scientists appointed by the United Nations Secretary-General, preparing the 2023 Global Sustainable Development Report.

In this video, our SRI Champions share their experiences and thoughts on SRI2021.Featuring: Morakane Madiba [S Afr], Andrew Kadykalo [Canada], Faten Attig Bahar [Tunisia], Glenn Fernandez [China], Ana Carolina Dias [Canada], Renuka Thakore [UK], Amy Then [Malaysia], Donkor Felox [S Afr],Gaby Langendijk [Germany], voice over introduction Mariela Antonakopoulou [Future Earth France]. See the video here.

A new video and web article were just released highlighting the need for new constellations of actors from climate, digital innovation, and finance communities to collectively explore opportunities and challenges at the intersection of digital technology and climate governance. This was developed through the Re-imagining Climate Governance in the Digital Age project, led by Sustainability in the Digital Age and Future Earth Canada in partnership with ClimateWorks Foundation. The project aims to convene diverse actors to identify leverage points to accelerate and scale impactful digitally-enabled climate action through philanthropic investment.