Skip to content
  • About
  • Partner with Us
  • Advertorial
  • Event
  • Training
  • Internship
  • Indonesia
Primary Menu
  • Home
  • Topics
  • Latest
  • News
  • Press Release
  • Brief
  • Interview
  • Opinion
  • Figure
  • Community
  • Youth
  • SDGs
  • Featured
  • News

Stories in the Time of Climate Crisis

Stories are an essential and powerful facet of our humanity. “Speculative Futures in the Climate Crisis” is the overall theme of a series of flash fictions by New Naratif.
by Nazalea Kusuma February 8, 2022
a drawing of an open book with ocean waves popping out

Illustration by Nazalea Kusuma

Humans have been telling stories since forever ago. Stories are an essential facet of our humanity, fulfilling our needs to feel, express, share, entertain, and be entertained. Historically, stories have been powerful enough to move people–and for that, sometimes they have been feared.

Stories are by-products of the lives we live, and our lives today are spiked with the looming danger of climate change catastrophes. 

“Speculative Futures in the Climate Crisis” is the overall theme of a series of flash fiction by New Naratif. It is a creative writing project featuring four authors across Southeast Asia and their stories of how our future might look because of the climate crisis.

New Naratif is a journalism platform and independent media outlet that advocates democracy, freedom of information, and freedom of expression in Southeast Asia. It is a non-profit enterprise published by Observatory Southeast Asia. 

Editors Deborah Augustin and Minxi Chua revealed that New Naratif invited writers around the region to pitch their flash fiction ideas around the theme in May 2021.

“We chose this theme because we believe that imagining a better world is the first step toward creating one,” said Deborah and Minxi in the Editors’ Note.

Pitches mostly came from young, aspiring writers across Southeast Asia. In the selection process for the final stories, the editors sought variety in the concepts and regions represented. They ended up with four short stories—some bleak, some hopeful, all important. 

The publication process is ongoing. Currently, there are two stories published with two more to go. Flipside hails from Singapore; The Last Will and Testament of the Last Elder sets the story in Indonesia. These stories are accompanied by expressive illustrations, making them even more impactful.

These stories serve as cautionary tales and hopeful dreams about the climate crisis. Climate change is a reality now, and what we do to shape our still unwritten future matters.

You can follow the ongoing series here. 

Thank you for reading!
If you find this article insightful, subscribe to Green Network Asia’s Weekly Newsletter to stay up-to-date with sustainable development news and stories from multistakeholder communities in the Asia Pacific and beyond.
SUBSCRIBE NOW
Photo Profile Nazalea Kusuma
Nazalea Kusuma
Editor at Green Network | Website | + posts

Naz is the Manager for International Editorial at Green Network Asia. She once studied Urban and Regional Planning and has lived in multiple cities across Southeast Asia. She is an experienced and passionate writer, editor, translator, and creative designer with almost a decade worth of portfolio.

  • Nazalea Kusuma
    https://greennetwork.asia/author/nazalea/
    Is Singapore Ready for Sustainable Aviation Fuel?
  • Nazalea Kusuma
    https://greennetwork.asia/author/nazalea/
    The Struggle of People with Disabilities in Gaza, Palestine
  • Nazalea Kusuma
    https://greennetwork.asia/author/nazalea/
    RESPECT: A Framework to Prevent Violence Against Women
  • Nazalea Kusuma
    https://greennetwork.asia/author/nazalea/
    Dominica Commits to Establish the First-Ever Sperm Whale Reserve

Continue Reading

Previous: UN-Habitat in 2022: WUF11 and Other Updates for Sustainable Urban Development
Next: B20 Indonesia for the Global Economy’s Collective Growth

Related Stories

a model of buildings with planet earth in the background Sustainable Built Environment: What makes a net-zero building?
  • Brief
  • Featured

Sustainable Built Environment: What makes a net-zero building?

by Nazalea Kusuma December 6, 2023
a photo of a wide land, half brown soil and half green grass Sustainable Soil Management Guidelines for Better Soil Health
  • Brief
  • Featured

Sustainable Soil Management Guidelines for Better Soil Health

by Kresentia Madina December 5, 2023
planes at changi airport Singapore during daytime Is Singapore Ready for Sustainable Aviation Fuel?
  • Featured
  • News

Is Singapore Ready for Sustainable Aviation Fuel?

by Nazalea Kusuma December 4, 2023
a wheelchair with shadow The Struggle of People with Disabilities in Gaza, Palestine
  • Brief
  • Featured

The Struggle of People with Disabilities in Gaza, Palestine

by Nazalea Kusuma December 1, 2023
three women carrying basins full of sand while being barefoot Modern Slavery in the Energy Sector: The Unintended Cost of Decarbonization
  • Brief
  • Featured

Modern Slavery in the Energy Sector: The Unintended Cost of Decarbonization

by Kresentia Madina November 30, 2023
three kids with one woman standing in front of hydroponics plants H2Grow Helps Bring Hydroponics Farming to Vulnerable Communities
  • Featured
  • News

H2Grow Helps Bring Hydroponics Farming to Vulnerable Communities

by Kresentia Madina November 29, 2023
  • Latest
  • Popular
  • Partner
  • a model of buildings with planet earth in the background Sustainable Built Environment: What makes a net-zero building?
    • Brief
    • Featured

    Sustainable Built Environment: What makes a net-zero building?

  • a photo of a wide land, half brown soil and half green grass Sustainable Soil Management Guidelines for Better Soil Health
    • Brief
    • Featured

    Sustainable Soil Management Guidelines for Better Soil Health

  • planes at changi airport Singapore during daytime Is Singapore Ready for Sustainable Aviation Fuel?
    • Featured
    • News

    Is Singapore Ready for Sustainable Aviation Fuel?

  • a wheelchair with shadow The Struggle of People with Disabilities in Gaza, Palestine
    • Brief
    • Featured

    The Struggle of People with Disabilities in Gaza, Palestine

  • three women carrying basins full of sand while being barefoot Modern Slavery in the Energy Sector: The Unintended Cost of Decarbonization
    • Brief
    • Featured

    Modern Slavery in the Energy Sector: The Unintended Cost of Decarbonization

  • The green landscape of Semakau Island in Singapore Semakau Island, the Green Landfill in Singapore
    • Featured
    • News

    Semakau Island, the Green Landfill in Singapore

  • Indonesian spices as cultural heritage Enthusiasts Reclaim Spices’ Cultural Heritage, Launch Spice Hub Indonesia
    • Featured
    • News

    Enthusiasts Reclaim Spices’ Cultural Heritage, Launch Spice Hub Indonesia

  • illustration of National SDG tracker by Unescap UNESCAP Supports “Build Back Better” with the National SDG Tracker
    • Featured
    • News

    UNESCAP Supports “Build Back Better” with the National SDG Tracker

  • Beena Rao and Her Fight for Education for the Children of the Slums
    • Figure

    Beena Rao and Her Fight for Education for the Children of the Slums

  • Muslimat NU of Bojong-Tegal Campaigns Environmental Protection, Reduces Waste Production
    • Featured
    • News

    Muslimat NU of Bojong-Tegal Campaigns Environmental Protection, Reduces Waste Production

  • The earth Mapping a Greener Future: How EOS Data Analytics Contributes To Asia’s Environmental Conservation Efforts
    • Brief
    • Featured
    • Partner

    Mapping a Greener Future: How EOS Data Analytics Contributes To Asia’s Environmental Conservation Efforts

  • a bald man, alex waisimon, smiling at the camera with a forest in the background Alex Waisimon Dedicates Himself to Papua’s Forests and Wildlife
    • Featured
    • Figure
    • Partner

    Alex Waisimon Dedicates Himself to Papua’s Forests and Wildlife

  • a woman, Lian Gogali, is wearing a red knitted sweater on top of white outfit while standing in front of a door. Lian Gogali Brings Back Harmony in Poso with Schools of Peace
    • Featured
    • Figure
    • Partner

    Lian Gogali Brings Back Harmony in Poso with Schools of Peace

  • a woman, butet manurung, in glasses holding a blackboard with alphabets on it Butet Manurung Provides a Liberating Education for Orang Rimba, the Indigenous People of Jambi
    • Featured
    • Figure
    • Partner

    Butet Manurung Provides a Liberating Education for Orang Rimba, the Indigenous People of Jambi

  • a woman, Indah Darmastuti, sitting in front of a wall with a mirror hanging on it. Indah Darmastuti Makes Literature More Inclusive for Visually Impaired People
    • Featured
    • Figure
    • Partner

    Indah Darmastuti Makes Literature More Inclusive for Visually Impaired People

About Us

  • The Team
  • #LetterfromtheFounder
  • Press Release Guidelines
  • Op-ed Article Guidelines
  • Community Article Guidelines
  • Contributor Network
  • Senior Advisory Network
  • Youth Advisory Network
  • FAQ
  • Contact Us
  • Terms of Service
  • Privacy Policy
© 2023 Green Network Asia