Solarpunk Prompts James Tomasino

Season 2 Introduction

Welcome back to season two of Solarpunk Prompts. In this brief introduction to the season we talk about the “punk” in Solarpunk, and the need for continuity between our world today and the good place to come.

Transcript: https://wiki.tomasino.org/writing/Solarpunk-Prompts---Season-2-Introduction

Links mentioned:


Solarpunk - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Solarpunk

In our first season - https://podcast.tomasino.org/@SolarpunkPrompts/episodes?season=1

National Novel Writing Month - https://nanowrimo.org/


Music from:
The Roche Limit by State Azure - https://stateazure.bandcamp.com/track/the-roche-limit
(CC-BY-SA)

The Moonshot
How can Solarpunk address the problems of a massive project, like travel to the moon? Will the genre crumble under the need for macro-level power and industry? Come explore the latest story prompt and dream of a future together.

Transcript: https://wiki.tomasino.org/writing/Solarpunk-Prompts---The-Moonshot

Links mentioned:

Our world energy production - https://ourworldindata.org/energy-mix

Frying potatos in space - https://www.esa.int/Science_Exploration/Human_and_Robotic_Exploration/Research/Flying_frying_in_microgravity

Our Shared Storm - https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/58690965-our-shared-storm

“Terra Ignota” tetralogy by Ada Palmer - https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/26114545-too-like-the-lightning


Music from:
‘Last And First Light’ and ‘Artemis’ by Scott Buckley - www.scottbuckley.com.au
(CC-BY 4.0)

The Disabled Community

How will our Solarpunk future be shaped by the tenacity and activism of the disabled community? What role does inclusivity and accessibility play in creating that future vision? What new challenges await us all?

Special thanks to Martyna Lysiakiewicz for a sensitivity read.

Transcript: https://wiki.tomasino.org/writing/Solarpunk-Prompts---The-Disabled-Community

Links mentioned:


Defying Doomsday - http://defyingdoomsday.twelfthplanetpress.com/

2022 report - https://accesstomedicinefoundation.org/resource/what-are-pharma-companies-doing-to-expand-access-to-insulin-and-how-can-efforts-be-scaled-up

Access to Medicine Foundation - https://accesstomedicinefoundation.org

99% Invisible - https://99percentinvisible.org

Curb Cuts - https://99percentinvisible.org/episode/curb-cuts/

Carol J. Gill - https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK11435/


Music from:

‘Adrift Among Infinite Stars’ and ‘Bring Me The Sky’ by Scott Buckley, released under CC-BY 4.0. www.scottbuckley.com.au

The Pharmacists

How will access to pharmaceuticals impact the Solarpunk future? In this prompt we explore data miners seeking to liberate the data buried by intellectual property to find new cures and hopes for their communities. We also discuss the state of the pharma industry in the global south and how the reality of today shapes the futures of tomorrow.

Transcript: https://wiki.tomasino.org/writing/Solarpunk-Prompts---The-Pharmacists

Links mentioned:


…because they are too cheap - https://www.economist.com/international/2019/09/14/a-dire-scarcity-of-drugs-is-worsening-in-part-because-they-are-so-cheap

Malaria could be eradicated by 2050 - https://www.vox.com/future-perfect/2019/9/10/20857132/malaria-eradication-2050-gene-drive-lancet-study


Music in this episode is:
“$50 to Breathe”, “It Will Make You Feel Better If You Put It In the Right Place”, and “I Refuse to Accept That There’s Nothing I Can Do About It”
from Angie’s Sunday Service by Chris Zabriskie
(CC BY 3.0 Deed)

The Miners

Rare earth metals are essential for our modern life, whether in EV motors, cell phones, or in electronics in general. Mining these metals is notoriously difficult and dirty. How might a Solarpunk future address this issue? How might we get there from where we are today? Through this prompt we explore the realities of rare earth mining today and a few ways it might evolve into a sustainable future.

Transcript: https://wiki.tomasino.org/writing/Solarpunk-Prompts---The-Miners

Links mentioned:



https://www.escatec.com/blog/rare-earth-elements-electronics-manufacturing


https://getrepowered.org/rare-earth-metals-recycle-technology/


https://cacm.acm.org/magazines/2019/3/234917-electronics-need-rare-earths/abstract


https://www.sciencenews.org/article/rare-earth-mining-renewable-energy-future


https://www.snexplores.org/article/recycling-rare-earth-elements-hard-reuse-greener-technology


https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S2213297X1730054X


https://www.ica.coop/en/cooperatives/cooperative-identity


https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Murray_Bookchin


Music in this episode is:
“Golden” and “Kelp Grooves” by Little Glass Men
(CC BY)

The Epidemiologists

How will a Solarpunk future address community distrust in public health? How will we restore faith in vaccines or heal the long history of abuse of minority and indiginous peoples? Is it hopeless? Today’s episode of Solarpunk Prompts takes a look at difficult themes and finding a better future.

Transcript: https://wiki.tomasino.org/writing/Solarpunk-Prompts---The-Epidemiologists

Links mentioned:



https://www.bbc.com/news/health-485129230


https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6768751


https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tuskegee_Syphilis_Study


https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2702151/


https://www.westhawaiitoday.com/2023/07/13/nation-world-news/canadas-indigenous-women-forcibly-sterilized-decades-after-other-rich-countries-stopped/


Music in this episode is:
Suspension and Homage by Kjartan Abel
(CC BY-SA 4.0)