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The Ecofuturism Issue

There is a notable resignation, exhaustion, and nihilism that broadly marks the ecological politics of Millenials and Gen Z. In some ways, we have been left with no choice. Our ecological inheritance is clearly the result of industrial capitalism: climate change, mass extinction, and a progressively toxic environment. We have also inherited an economy driven by the single-minded pursuit of profit, which offers no incentive to address the root causes of climate change — such as fossil fuels dependency, extractive practices, and land development. 

For decades, many believed the government would properly manage the various emergent ecological crises as information evolved. Others even believed the free market would resolve the matter. As we resist struggle, debate, and process defeats, we never had a meaningful chance to find our way. Now: Cop City. MVP. Willow. Coal Country. Lutzerath. East Palestine. East African Crude Oil. TVA’s fossil fuel swap. Wildfires. Surging authoritarianism. We live collectively with the residue of the trauma from being born into endless wars, catastrophic failures of those in power, and the unthwarted libido of industrial capitalism.

In the face of such overwhelming despair, we have worked to lay the groundwork for forging a new future. Not a future that is guaranteed, but a future that we will envision, create, and safeguard. It is incumbent upon us to learn how to hold the bleak realities we are facing in tension with a steadfast hope for any possible future. As far as we can tell, this is the only way to fully grasp the stakes in order to develop the powerful and diverse strategies necessary to sustain life into the future.

After grieving the death of a concept of nature that is no longer tenable, our trans siblings have led us through the intricate, painful, and liberating process of transition. This is not dissimilar to the work that lies before us, as we create a world that nurtures a profound respect for the land, treating it as a living entity with inherent rights and intrinsic value. We understand that during any transitional process, one must remain deeply in touch with (1) the agony of what has been lost or left behind, (2) the commitment to understanding the material and social realities that gave rise to and sustain our current threats, and (3) the possibility of a different future. In other words, we must remain in touch with our grief, devotion, and hope. 

In our fourth and final issue for 2023, we focus our energy towards the process of invention, world-creation, resilience, and hope—the very essence of “futurity.” We embrace ecofuturism not only as a subgenre of hopepunk, but also as the oppositional force to the gloomy nihilism which lures us towards inaction and self-destructive lifestyles. Ecofuturism rejects the temptation of nihilism in exchange for an attempt at world creation.