Solarpunk: Imagining Cities Where Technology Follows Nature's Lead

An essay on Aeon explores solarpunk, a cultural movement that envisions a future where technology works in partnership with nature, drawing on the concept of the Symbiocene proposed by environmental philosopher Glenn Albrecht in 2014. The movement, which emerged in the 2010s as a green reimagining of steampunk and cyberpunk, advocates for technologies that mimic natural systems, such as biomimicry, permaculture, and regenerative microgrids. Key influences include Richard Register's 'Ecocity Berkeley' (1987), Ernest Callenbach's 'Ecotopia' (1975), and Ursula K. Le Guin's 'The Dispossessed' (1974). The essay contrasts solarpunk with projects like Sidewalk Labs' Quayside in Toronto and Saudi Arabia's Neom, which are criticized for prioritizing corporate or top-down control over democratic and ecological values. It also highlights examples of Indigenous technologies, such as the Khasi living root bridges in Meghalaya, India, and Ma'dan reed architecture in Iraq, as models of sustainable design. The author, a plant philosopher, discusses the potential role of GMOs in solarpunk, citing YouTuber Andrewism's view that they should empower people and the environment, not corporations. The essay concludes by emphasizing the need for a shift toward biophilic, cradle-to-cradle technologies and a post-scarcity society.