Michael Rubenstein explores the emerging field of "energy humanities" and the relationship between literature, energy systems, and environmental concerns. Host Heather Lynch and Rubenstein, associate professor in the Department of English and Director of the Humanities Institute, how energy regimes shape human consciousness and cultural outputs. Rubenstein reflects on literature's role in helping humanity navigate the impasse between acknowledging the need to transition away from fossil fuels and the political challenges of doing so.

Learn more with:

• “The Ministry for the Future” by Kim Stanley Robinson
• “Michael Rubenstein Illuminates a New Field of Research: Energy Humanities ”
• “New Course on Energy, Climate and Society Is a Cross-College Collaboration”

Skip ahead to the chapter that interests you:

• 00:29 Literature's Power to Understand Climate Change
• 01:57 Defining Energy Humanities
• 03:34 Transitioning from Fossil Fuels to Green Energy
• 5:22 The Parallel Between Elon Musk and Henry Ford
• 06:43 Literature as a Source of Climate Solutions
• 09:07 Climate Activism in Fiction vs. Reality
• 11:55 Democracy's Relationship with Fossil Fuels
• 14:13 How Climate Change is Transforming the Novel
• 19:59 Humanity's Responsibility to the Planet
• 24:21 Conservatism in Environmental Humanities
• 26:26 Obligations to Address Climate Change

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C4E Presents is a production of Stony Brook’s Collaborative for the Earth.

Host: Heather Lynch

Editor: J.D. Allen

Producer: Rachel Lea 

Program manager: Jennifer Gilday