CLIMATE JUSTICE AND ECOLOGIES OF INEQUALITY IN BARBARA KINGSOLVER’S PRODIGAL SUMMER AND KIM STANLEY ROBINSON’S NEW YORK 2140

This article analyses how climate justice and social inequality are portrayed in two contemporary novels: Barbara Kingsolver's Prodigal Summer and Kim Stanley Robinson's New York 2140. While the former depicts rural settings with the focus on the present-day problems, the latter portrays urban scenarios of the future following a devastating catastrophe. Both novels demonstrate that climate disasters exacerbate the already existing social inequalities in society. Set in rural southern Appalachia, Kingsolver’s book illustrates a farmer’s struggle to balance profit and environmental conservation. According to Kingsolver, rural people need to attract greater attention because they are not discussed during climate change negotiations but are much more vulnerable to environmental problems. Conversely, Robinson's New York 2140 depicts a submerged Manhattan reimagined as a “Super-Venice”, where the actual elevation of a residence reflects its occupant's socio-economic standing. Robinson criticises global finance capital’s attempts to turn environmental disasters into commodities, making rising sea levels a new place for gentrification. This article looks at the characters' journeys and the physical settings of both novels to show that both authors see climate justice not just as a technical or scientific problem to be solved but as a social project based on community resilience, closing the wealth gap, and fundamentally rethinking how people interact with the natural world. These two novels assert that it is impossible to significantly alter the world without dealing with the social inequalities that are a big part of our time.