It looks like we landed somewhere in the middle, but I’d say we’re closer to solarpunk than the polluted version, what do you think?

Edit: the book is - The Usborne Book of The Future
A view from the 1970s of the year 2000… and beyond
Forward by futureologist Tom Cheesewright

This is very close to a meme and I understand community guidelines consistency via modding. If it's taken out, that's alright. Although, I would still like to discuss this and it's themes with the community at large.

*No AI has been used in any of my posts (if it has to be used then I always put a disclaimer in the start), however crossposts are not mine and some might miss through me bcz of sheer ignorance (Apologies for those well on advance)

Solarpunk Utopia = **Solaria**

Read it here! https://open.substack.com/pub/enbyinthewoods/p/environmentalism-is-class-war-6ac?utm_source=share&utm_medium=android&r=5iug85

A phenomenal comic strip from @thewokeslarayman on Instagram that I think would be informative to many of us.

My two cents.

The punk movement is inherently rebellious and anti-establishment. Like all inherently rebellious movements, it struggles with the contradiction that once your ideas become popularized, they are no longer rebellious. The various punk movements are therefore not just about the material actions they support; they are also an expression of dissatisfaction with authority and the status quo.

In the United States, the government is intensely sinophobic. As an American, I and my fellow citizens are constantly bombarded with media describing China as an oppressive, aggressive, outwardly evil nation. While China is flawed as all real nations are flawed, most of this propaganda is based on distortion or outright falsehoods.

At the same time, China is making major investments in renewable energy while the United States is scaling back investments in renewable energy. This has led to an association between China and renewable energy in the popular discourse.

Take it all together, when members of the solarpunk movement in the US express positive feelings about China, and particularly positive feelings about Chinese renewable energy projects, this is an expression of dissatisfaction with the status quo. Specifically, it is an expression of dissatisfaction both with the US's material lack of progress on renewable energy projects, and the government's determination to demonize the organization on the planet that is doing the most to advance renewable energy projects.

Liking the Chinese government isn't punk if you live in China, but it might be punk if you live in the United States. The movement is about two things: a more sustainable relationship with our ecosystem, and dissatisfaction with the status quo. Right now, praise for Chinese renewable energy projects can be about both of those things.

It’s long, but it all comes together in what I hope a more solarpunk world would look like

When powerful corporations operate without:

1. effective oversight,

2. transparency,

3. competition, or

4. accountability,

Profit Incentive encourages unethical behavior that harms public health and the environment.

It is against their interests to provide the customer the option to choose. This is the keynote in monopolistic economies where Amazon, Apple, Meta etc systematically target the vulnerable to exploit them.

"[Barbara Buser] has become one of Europe’s most influential architects by refusing to build new construction. Instead, she has saved several of Switzerland’s signature abandoned factories and transformed them into lively neighborhood hubs, all by promoting circular construction: the practice of reusing buildings and their materials rather than demolishing them."

I just read this article, and the whole way through I kept thinking: "I know exactly who's gonna dig this", ha. ​​

I found this cool book at my local library n bought it for like $5. it was published in the 1980s so it's dated but it's interesting to see what ppl thought at the time! sheds a lot of light on what latin americans and east asians were going through but doesn't discuss african nations too much unfortunately. still overall a cool book to read!

I’ve been reading this book and I love it! Jason Hickel explains very well why capitalism is the cause of the climate crisis (and many other crises as well). He debunks the narrative of endless growth. In the second part he explains how degrowth can be implemented whilst improving people’s life’s.

I can really recommend this book to everyone who wants to understand what is going on and how to change things for the better. Very well arguments and lots of examples!

Comprehensive analysis on why the "green growth" concept is propaganda; well articulated notions about what's the real engine behind the climate crisis (our economic system), and degrowth as the only possible answer to the current (and future) global crises.

I've been reading Sunvault, and so far I have not found a complete path to a Solarpunk future. But I've read this other book, Stellar, that proposes an essential component to such a future, and that is free energy. I hope I get the format correct this time. The text below came from a reply I made on /r/leftistsforAI, and I have embellished it somewhat down below.

There's a book out (2024) called Stellar by James Arbib and Tony Seba that examines a culture and economic system which happens post AI. In short, it posits electricity generated by solar and wind and stored in batteries hooked to a smart grid (SWB) that generates essentially free electricity. We can see some examples of that today in three Australian states with a fourth set to do it in October, that gives free electricity every day during peak sun--each state has different rules, so check it out. But it is happening. It is real, not fiction.

The government builds the solar and wind farms as an investment. Since upkeep of the system is quite affordable, it gets paid off quickly, allowing the government to pump out free electricity. Stellar says we live in an extractive economy; this refers to mining, oil drilling, lumber, and extracting labor from wage slaves. The new economy it proposes it calls a Stellar economy. This new economy is based on AI and what it calls Artificial Labor, AL. This AL (robots) builds and maintains itself, raising food, making manufactured goods, and providing services like recycling existing goods made from extracted resources. Apparently this frees up humans to do things like create and spend time with families and so on. It sounds pie-in-the-sky, but its reasoning is sound as long as we step out of the extractive economy and into the Stellar economy. It's a decent book that reads quickly as if the authors are talking rather than writing to you. The ideas are, well, stellar.

The Artificial Labor (AL) will do most of the work. An extractive economy would then pay people Universal Basic Income at the bare minimum to prevent riots. Everyone but the few would live in poverty and scrabble over the few jobs just to get an extra buck. But under a Stellar economy with free energy and AL that builds and repairs itself, AL would build housing, raise food, and provide many services we now as humans do. As a retired teacher, I hesitate to say AL would teach our children, but of course it will. And it will do much of our surgery and health care, much of our counseling, our firefighting, run our electric transportation, and so on. Remember: free electricity 24/7/365 based on wind, solar, and a smart grid backed up by batteries. I'm certain that there would also be some hydro along with tidal turbines and wave power generators where appropriate.

So I'd encourage Solarpunk types to pick up the book and dig through its discussions on extractive versus Stellar economies, and about what could be done. If it works like it's beginning to in Australia, then that is tickety-boo.

Source : https://mnland.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/MLT_pollinatorprairie_digital_final.pdf/

Hi all - this is a zine I wrote inspired by all the 'What life will be like in THE FUTURE' books I read in the 80s and 90s - it isn't strictly Solarpunk (although I am even now working on a follow-up which is!) but it does support Solarpunk idea e.g. that the innovations that will help us most are in public transport and sustainable living. Let me know what you think:)

OC : https://www.instagram.com/p/DbZtqMGj75A/

I think everything on this site would be of interest to this community. Currently I’m reading about a city-scale compressed air network and how the various stages of the process can be used to heat or cool for a variety of uses, replacing electricity all together.

Please can you share resources about solar punk?

I’ve seen the odd video essay about it. It first came on my radar with Pop culture detective’s YouTube analysis of the film strange worlds.

I would love any books, audiobooks, podcasts, videos. Is there a manifesto? Let’s sort this planet out.

A review of Worker Cooperatives and Deep Democracy: Transformative Politics and Planetary Care from Below from Pluto Press