In The Ministry for the Future, the imminent catastrophes of climate change dawn on humanity to very different degrees. The most vulnerable populations are the most desperate for change because of their proximity to tragedy, while the powerful heads of financial institutions fail to see the need for action. Between the two extremes lies the Ministry for the Future, a passionate moderator that empathizes with the victims of climate change but must remain patient with money-controlling figures.
After Frank survives the horrors of environmental disaster, he feels rage at the lack of response and accountability from world leaders and corporations. They "[are] watching…, they [know] but... [don't] act" (12). To channel his desperation into an initiative for change, he reaches out to the Children of Kali. This extremist group has been a victim and witness to climate change's horrors within developing countries. Like Frank, they are tired, rageful, and desperate for action, which is why they resort to violence as their only means to enact change. Their mantra is: "they killed us, so we killed them" (133).
The Children of Kali’s attacks are aimed towards those who deliriously portray themselves as
"[p]atriotic politicians” and “hard-working corporate executives" (30) when, in reality, they are the root cause of the problem. Their narrow-mindedness makes them contemplate their capitalist, self-centered actions as well-meaning and strategic. They bat an eye during India's heat wave, and when they are held hostage in Davos to watch footage of the tragedies their own actions have caused, they unremorsefully describe it as cliché (162), exclaiming that the whole experience has zero effect on them (164). They pretend they are driven by the best interest of "their beloved nation's citizens" (30) when truthfully, they are careless about the repercussions of their money-centered actions.
As head of the Ministry for the Future, Mary is responsible for finding realistic and enforceable solutions to the climate crisis. Yet, her dependency on world leaders and financial institutions to enact the change she is proposing creates an ineffective stalemate. To those who have been deeply affected by the effects of climate change, that stalemate seems like an act of nothingness from the Ministry for the Future. As Frank tells Mary, "stop thinking with your bourgeois values… [because] the stakes are too high to hide behind them anymore" (97). She knows what the future holds, but people like Frank have experienced its unimaginable consequences in flesh and bone. This makes her more aggressive with her commands and more radical with her strategic decisions.
Robinson's The Ministry for the Future showcases battling ideologies and approaches to combat climate change. It focusses on how the strong willingness of many may be put to a halt by the inaction of a powerful few. Yet, by the end of the novel, there is hope that battling approaches can intertwine through compromise and progressively work towards a better world.
You make an interesting point about the Ministry being a sort of mediator between the two extreme sides when it comes to climate change. I do feel like success in the fight against climate change only comes once the Ministry starts to support the people instead of the large institutions. The Ministry does play an important role in preventing total conflict between the two parties. Without it, many more would've died within the story. The Ministry as an organization brought about a more gradual change but only once it stopped trying so hard to protect the governments and banks and started fighting against these institutions itself.
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