In a contrived act of theatricality, Greta
Thunberg delivered a fervent speech about climate change at the United
Nations (UN) on Monday 23 September 2019. Although her address was both
lauded and condemned for its intensity, Thunberg’s dire warnings about
our future can trace their lineage to an immense back catalogue of
alarmist environmental fantasy.
This veritable avalanche of media takes the form of articles, books,
videos, academic studies, pamphlets, and soaring oratory that has
predicted any number of cataclysms [1]. These works, in turn, are
implicitly reminiscent of the Western Apocalyptic tradition.
