These pages have taken us to the Indian subcontinent: Solarpunk India … Solarpunk inspiration from the Subcontinent … Solarpunk in Koltata

And there is increasing interest and valuable comment coming from South Asia.

This is from Sonal Gupta writing in the latest from The Indian Express – on How the climate conversation went punk:

From slow fashion to guerrilla gardening, the internet has transformed solarpunk, a literary movement, into an alternative lifestyle trend.

The solarpunk movement envisions a greener, solar power-led future of the planet. (Photo created on Canva)

The imaginations of our future have become increasingly bleak, and more so with the advent of artificial intelligence (AI). Conversations today muse about AI bots replacing humans and wars over basic needs like water. Morbid as it may sound, cinema and literature have long captured these anxieties.

In the 1980s, American author Bruce Bethke coined the term cyberpunk, releasing a short story of the same name about a group of teenage hackers rebelling against the “oldies”. The word became shorthand for an entire sub-genre of dystopian fiction…

What is solarpunk?

In a foreword to his short story, written in 1997, Bethke said that he wanted to invent a term that “grokked the juxtaposition of punk attitudes and high technology”. He took several roots like cyber or techno and mixed them up “with a bunch of terms for socially misdirected youth”, till a combination “sounded right”. While Bethke was self-admittedly market-driven in his invention, he gave rise to a movement that speaks to the indomitable human spirit. Even in the face of corporate tyranny and machine masters, the humans find ways to rebel. That’s pretty punk!

Solarpunk borrows this “do-it-yourself” spirit. In true punk fashion, it counters the dominant cyberpunk notions with a more optimistic vision of the future. Solarpunk, as the name suggests, puts solar energy or renewable energy at the heart of the climate change solution.

Towards the future

As predicted by its progenitor, solarpunk technology has indeed become a reality. The sail-powered cargo ship, which first inspired the idea, has now seen more innovation. According to a 2024 AP report, wind-assisted vessels are “growing at unprecedented rates”. Changing policies, such as a penalty for emissions by large cargo ships in the European Union, could further push wind power’s appeal.

Newer architecture is focusing on biophilic designs, which integrate natural elements into buildings, such as optimising for natural light and wind through skylights and windows, or using natural materials like wood and stone. And as open spaces shrink, hydroponics (a method of growing plants with water instead of soil) is gaining popularity to create vertical green walls.

In 2020, Solar Punk Farms cropped up in California as a communal living space whose inhabitants grow and share their own food. The leftovers are sent to local markets. They have designed their greenhouse after the animations of Hayao Miyazaki. In fact, the works of the Studio Ghibli founder have found resonance among solarpunks, as he places nature as a character in his plots. In his visions, nature is at its most beautiful—lush greenery, rays of light, the dew on leaves, and the wind blowing life into trees.

Though these changes are encouraging, it’s ironic that as we move past dystopian visions, the capitalists of the world, running in the AI race, threaten to steer us to the very future. The use of AI itself depletes water resources and generates immense amounts of greenhouse gases and electronic waste. If we are to live in a world where technology exists in harmony with nature, activists, stakeholders, and individuals must actively call for more sustainable solutions, affirmative action, and policy changes.

If cyberpunk warned us of what happens when technology consumes humanity, solarpunk invites us to imagine what is possible when humanity reclaims technology. It reminds us that hope, like sunlight, is a renewable resource too.