The first chapter is riveting, inviting readers to consider the human cost of climate catastrophe as capitalist gears choke from social unrest. however, most of the story centers around the bureaucratic Ministry for the Future – a utopian reimagining of international organizations which convince the banks to incentive decarbonization, limit salaries at a 1:10 ratio for the highest paid, create wildlife corridors, and geoengineer melting glaciers. The narrative stalls with lengthy, pedantic seminars that reference Hardt and Negri but become irritating.
The bird’s-eye view of climate change and human attempts to mitigate is an interesting thought exercise but isn’t compelling storytelling. There was no force actively opposing the Ministry of the Future, unlike like current fossil fuel companies and their governmental representatives. Far- right forces and intense nationalism were left out of this world, something that seems jarringly missing for a world set 20 years from now.
The main characters, Mary and Frank, were also not compelling. We travel along side Mary – the Ministry for the Future director, as she attempts to wrangle countries into line. But why? What is her own personal motivation? why does she dedicate her life to such work?
the creative schemes to mitigate climate change are wonderful to imagine – a thought experiment that takes us outside of our current world where there is little to no political will to put the brakes on carbon.