Solarpunk is innately about hope for a better future, but Desert is rather about the impossibility to save the world from climate change and the opportunities for anarchy that arise after the world’s end. It’s not as if Desert is devoid of hope, but rather it sees hope and possibilities within the end of the world. In that respect, there is some overlap with solarpunk, but I can’t help but think the nihilism doesn’t jive well with the solarpunk ethos.
You made me think of an analogy: when I started driving my instructor told me not to stare at obstacle. When driving we need to look at where we want to go, because our hands will follow our eyes.
The more we stare at the obstacle the more we tend to go towards it.
I feel like now we are really focusing on climate change but not enough on the alternative. There is no direction, we are trying to change society without changing it.
Solarpunk is a direction, it a way of saying “this is where we want to go”. I don’t know if we will manage to go there, but I know for sure that if we don’t have any direction we are not going anywhere !
I can’t wait that we leave the climate crisis behind us, with abundant and sustainable energy sources that are available for free during peak hours.
I think we are at the dawn of a golden age IF we manage to solve the current crisis.
What a wonderful analogy! I‘m new here and used to staring at the obstacle to the point of despair. I hope I can learn from you.