Author Chen Qiufan Thinks Science Fiction Is the Best Genre to Discuss Climate

Sign up to receive the Green Daily newsletter in your inbox.

In Chinese science fiction writer Chen Qiufan’s new book Net Zero China, the protagonist travels through time to the year 2060 and sees a China in which President Xi Jinping’s net-zero pledge is made true. “There are too many urgent climate issues today, and I think the core one is energy transition. If we can’t make the transition from fossil fuels to clean energy quick enough, then many of the other efforts will only be floating on the surface without touching the deep root of the problem,” said Chen when talking about what keeps him up at night. Yet, the author said he believes “a crisis may be an opportunity in disguise.”