Orphans of the Earth: Climate Refugees in Young Adult Science Fiction

Daniel Feldman; Dong Yeol Park; Hunseok Oh

doi:10.24926/cle.v3i1.6582

Orphans of the Earth: Climate Refugees in Young Adult Science Fiction

Daniel Feldman
, Dong Yeol Park
, Hunseok Oh

Department of English Literature and Linguistics

Seoul National University

Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review

Abstract

The climate crisis is emerging as a major driver of migration. Climate refugees—those displaced by climate disasters or gradual ecological degradation—are likely to play a significant role in global migration patterns as climate impacts intensify. This evolving crisis presents challenges for educators and remains underexplored in critical scholarship, yet it is already influencing literary narratives. In contemporary young adult (YA) fiction, climate refugees take on the archetypal role of the orphan, a destabilizing figure that disrupts social structures. This essay examines War Girls (2019) by Tochi Onyebuchi and The Marrow Thieves (2017) by Cherie Dimaline to highlight how these novels depict climate refugees as both vulnerable and transformative figures.

Original language	American English
Journal	Climate Literacy in Education
Volume	3
Issue number	1
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.24926/cle.v3i1.6582 https://doi.org/10.24926/cle.v3i1.6582
State	Published - 2025

Bibliographical note

Copyright (c) 2025 Daniel Feldman, Dong Yeol Park, Hunseok Oh

Categories: Critical Essay

Keywords

climate refugee
orphans
migration
environmental destruction
climate change

UN SDGs

This output contributes to the following UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)

Access to Document

Seoul National University (External organization)
Feldman, D. (Member)
1 Sep 2024
Activity: Membership › Fellowship

Cite this

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title = "Orphans of the Earth: Climate Refugees in Young Adult Science Fiction ",

abstract = "The climate crisis is emerging as a major driver of migration. Climate refugees—those displaced by climate disasters or gradual ecological degradation—are likely to play a significant role in global migration patterns as climate impacts intensify. This evolving crisis presents challenges for educators and remains underexplored in critical scholarship, yet it is already influencing literary narratives. In contemporary young adult (YA) fiction, climate refugees take on the archetypal role of the orphan, a destabilizing figure that disrupts social structures. This essay examines War Girls (2019) by Tochi Onyebuchi and The Marrow Thieves (2017) by Cherie Dimaline to highlight how these novels depict climate refugees as both vulnerable and transformative figures.",

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N2 - The climate crisis is emerging as a major driver of migration. Climate refugees—those displaced by climate disasters or gradual ecological degradation—are likely to play a significant role in global migration patterns as climate impacts intensify. This evolving crisis presents challenges for educators and remains underexplored in critical scholarship, yet it is already influencing literary narratives. In contemporary young adult (YA) fiction, climate refugees take on the archetypal role of the orphan, a destabilizing figure that disrupts social structures. This essay examines War Girls (2019) by Tochi Onyebuchi and The Marrow Thieves (2017) by Cherie Dimaline to highlight how these novels depict climate refugees as both vulnerable and transformative figures.

AB - The climate crisis is emerging as a major driver of migration. Climate refugees—those displaced by climate disasters or gradual ecological degradation—are likely to play a significant role in global migration patterns as climate impacts intensify. This evolving crisis presents challenges for educators and remains underexplored in critical scholarship, yet it is already influencing literary narratives. In contemporary young adult (YA) fiction, climate refugees take on the archetypal role of the orphan, a destabilizing figure that disrupts social structures. This essay examines War Girls (2019) by Tochi Onyebuchi and The Marrow Thieves (2017) by Cherie Dimaline to highlight how these novels depict climate refugees as both vulnerable and transformative figures.

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DO - 10.24926/cle.v3i1.6582

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JO - Climate Literacy in Education

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ER -

Orphans of the Earth: Climate Refugees in Young Adult Science Fiction

Abstract

Bibliographical note

Keywords

UN SDGs

Access to Document

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Activities

Seoul National University (External organization)

Cite this