Interview: C.D. Tavenor, Editor of “The World’s Revolution

INTERVIEW: C.D. TAVENOR, EDITOR OF "THE WORLD'S REVOLUTION"

An digital illustration of skyscrapers with green plants at their bases and a blue smoggy sky. There is a lens flare. Over the buildings are superimposed the words "The World's Revolution" and below that, "A Climate Crisis Anthology.

I recently received a copy of C.D. Tavenor’s short story “Catalyst” a prelude to ‘The World’s Revolution: a Climate Crisis Anthology’. For those who are not aware, CliFi (climate fiction) is the umbrella genre for all fiction in which we deal with an uncertain future brought about by climate change. Solarpunk, lunarpunk, tidalpunk, and other speculative futurisms can fall under this genre but can vary in terms of time, place, culture, and worldview.

“The World’s Revolution” anthology takes place in the future according to a predetermined time frame of possible outcomes starting in the year 2020, moving through 2047 and beyond. Allowing writers, artists, and readers to envision both climate disaster and dystopia, as well as, the possibility of creating utopia. With that in mind, I asked C.D. Tavenor a few questions about the anthology and his own opinions about our future.

Meira Datiya: Can you explain how you came up with the idea that became ‘World’s Revolution’?

C. D. Tavenor: I daylight as a public interest environmental attorney, so I’ve always had an inclination to inject climate change and other environmental issues into the stories I write. Before the World’s Revolution, though, I hadn’t made any stories explicitly focused on climate change (though I have a few personal projects in the works!).

I like working with other creatives. As an editor, it’s a lot of fun to help a writer achieve their story’s vision. So I decided to propose the idea of a “climate crisis” anthology to a few other writers and editors. The goal—create a collaborative universe where we can pay authors for their stories while inspiring people to take action on climate change.

And from there, we developed the World’s Revolution.

MD: What made you come up with this specific timeline for our future?

CDT: I’m glad you’ve asked that! In developing the loose “timeline” for writers to build their stories from, we wanted to present a somewhat realistic outlook while also including some typical dystopian futuristic elements for readers to work from. What would the United States look like if it fractured in the future? How would that change geopolitics? What environmental crises are on the horizon, and how will countries react to them? If people started manifesting crazy environmental superpowers, how would this shift power dynamics?

MD: Do you think the U.S. will divide into multiple nations? How would that work hypothetically?

CDT: Due to the inertia of the United States as a political block, I actually think it’s pretty unlikely the country will subdivide anytime soon. However, given current political polarization, I don’t think it’s impossible.

In ‘The World’s Revolution,’ the United States experiences a constitutional crisis, resulting in its division into smaller nations that still collaborate together as a loose confederation. Somewhat similar to how the EU operates today. It gives people a different political framework to play within writing their stories--and implies opportunities for conflict, both environmental and otherwise. Each of these nations is responding to climate change differently. I’m excited to see how writers dive into these new countries--especially envisioning how their home might look in this hypothetical future. If someone lives in Florida right now, what do they think their home’s future will look like in 2050 in this setting?

MD: Are we headed for a World Water War? Do you think we can prevent this from happening?

CDT: With sufficient political will, any military conflict can be avoided. I don’t want to make predictions about future military conflicts, but I definitely think it’s possible. There’s a lot of data out there predicting which parts of the world are going to experience severe water stress over the next few decades.

For instance, climate change is exacerbating glacial melt, especially in mountain ranges like the Himalayas. The glaciers there provide drinking water for billions of people. It’s an environmental crisis waiting to happen that will require its own solutions, beyond just the solutions we need to craft for the climate crisis.

MD: Can you explain to our readers what fossil fuel leasing is and why you have projected drilling to continue through 2100?

CDT: Every country has different rules regarding drilling for oil and natural gas. Let’s focus on the United States, though because it’s what I’m most familiar with. Companies focused on drilling for fossil fuel resources (and this includes coal, too, though they mine for that) constantly purchase “leases” from property owners across the United States.

At its core, it’s a basic property transaction. An owner of a farm, for instance, signs a contract with a drilling company saying “you have the right to exploit the mineral rights of my land.” There are companies out there that have locked in fossil fuel leases for generations into the future. Companies also lease property from the government, too, though the Biden Administration has currently stalled future fossil fuel leases on public lands.

Because of US Constitutional property protections, an outright ban of fossil fuels presents a complicated conundrum. If Congress suddenly banned all future fossil fuel production, companies with contracts for mineral rights could claim the US government has actually “taken” their property by barring them from drilling, and thus the government would need to compensate them for the lost property.

There’s also an environmental justice issue--for a variety of historical reasons, a number of communities nationwide economically rely on fossil fuel development for their economies. A just transition, then, needs to ensure those communities aren’t screwed if fossil fuel industries are shut down.

We can avoid that legal conundrum by focusing on making solar, wind, and other renewable energy choices cheaper than oil and natural gas. Though, obviously, focusing just on energy economics doesn’t stop companies from simply continuing to drill, no matter the environmental costs.

At least in the US, the solution isn’t easy. At least, the easy solutions most likely wouldn’t be equitable.

MD: What do you think about the different types of futurism that are concerned with humanity, technology, and the environment, such as African futurism, lunarpunk, solarpunk, tidalpunk, and of course, clifi?

CDT: I love them all. I’m a sucker for every type of speculative fiction, especially those exploring the human condition in response to surviving our environment.

Every story an author writes positing a possible “future” for our species helps people think deeply about solving our problems in the present. A story about an eco-utopia three hundred years from now should cause readers to hope for that future and take action to achieve it. A story about a dystopian world where climate change has shattered the planet can inspire a reader to work to avoid that future.

MD: Let’s say we save the world, how do you personally envision that future?

CDT: It will look fundamentally different from the world we have today. Our level of energy consumption (and consumption in general) is incredibly unsustainable, not to mention the ways we exploit the land and other people.

A future world, having solved the climate crisis, will have radically restructured its economy to focus on human flourishing and communal harmony, rather than profit and control. We will live in relationship with the planet, rather than in dominion over it.

Sometimes, people think a future like this sounds scary or impossible. But I don’t think so. It will still include many of the things people love. I imagine a sustainable future still has great tv shows, awesome books, fun video games, and other cultural staples. Our relationship with labor and profit will be different, though. We probably won’t have the ability to do whatever we want whenever we want to do it. We’ll need to eat food grown locally and won’t have access to all foods at all times of the year.

The world will need to slow down. But moving too fast is what put us in our current predicament.

MD: When do you expect the anthology to be published and where will it be available?

CDT: Our first anthology will release in Fall 2021, most likely in October! We’re excited to piece everyone’s stories together. It’ll be available from all major retailers, though we especially encourage people to buy local and buy from independent bookstores.

MD: Is there anything else you would like to share?

CDT: Our first anthology for the World’s Revolution is only the beginning. We’re excited to bring the stories of many different writers into this collaborative setting, whether it’s shorts, novellas, or maybe even novels. So if you have a story idea for The World’s Revolution, please reach out to us!

Our future may seem bleak with the threats of water shortages, climate catastrophes, and necrocapitalism’s influence on our daily lives. But everything we have today started as an idea in someone’s mind and collectively we have the power to change it. Anthologies like ‘The World’s Revolution’ push us to ask the hard questions about our future and explore the possibilities and consequences our choices will have, both on our lives today and in the days to come. It’s up to all of us to imagine, write, create, and build the future we want to live in and it starts today.

The left-hand background image of these spreads. It depicts a giant greenhouse full of plants, with various balconies and bridges. In the center is a hole that leads downward, with water pouring from it. The ceiling is segmented in triangles.

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The right half of the background, showing the center fountain, many trees, and balconies.

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The background of the final page, a photo of a camera looking up at a tree. The trunk is dappled and the leaves are green.

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