The Facts Within Fiction

  Kim Stanley Robinson’s book The Ministry for the Future is a very important book in today’s world. This book is one that is able to push the boundaries between fiction and nonfiction, while still remaining fiction. The book discusses various topics regarding the problems causing climate change, as well as possible solutions for it. Although it doesn’t explicitly state a perfect solution for climate change, The Ministry for the Future does an excellent job at starting conversation, and promoting thought about possible solutions. Through his use of statistics, precise details, and multiple realistic solutions, Robinson is able to make the book seem nonfiction, further adding to the impact the book is able to have. 

The concept that is most important within this book is the idea of using “facts” to bolster the importance of fighting climate change. Robinson does this through his use of realistic statistics and measurements, such as parts per million (ppm) of carbon dioxide in the air and degrees celsius that the temperatures are rising. These provide a real feel and are able to help impact the reader more due to their real nature. Robinson also introduces many semi-realistic solutions towards climate change, such as the carbon coin, pumping water out from underneath glaciers, and forms of terrorism. It is not solely the idea of these solutions that has the impact, rather it is his intricate explanations of the solutions with loads of details about how they would work, along with providing statistics and “facts” that make these solutions seem even more realistic. Not only is he able to provide these realistic explanations to many things regarding climate change, but he is able to provide fictional stories that show what could happen if climate change were to get bad. The most impactful of these stories happens in India, where the change of climate has gotten so bad that a heat wave came through and killed millions, leaving bodies all over and creating a horrible scene. 

In the end, Robinson’s use of “facts” within fiction and his ability to push the boundary between nonfiction and fiction is very impactful for the story that he is writing. This writing style is able to encourage many conversations around climate change, along with the importance of stopping it, which could be a huge step in the progress of this world because there are many people who deny climate change. The Ministry for the Future has become a very important read due to its real world applications.