Artists, designers, futurists, environmentalists, and dreamers are invited to make submissions for a Digital Art Exhibition for the forthcoming ‘Southeast Asian Solarpunk Art Project’ on 4 October 2025.

The call is organised by EnergyLab Asia, a non-profit driving Cambodia’s energy transition, in collaboration with Micro Galleries (a global art collective), Sambor Village hotel in Kampong Thom and Seapunk Studios (a network of creatives around Southeast Asia).

The open call invites artists, designers, and creatives from across Southeast Asia to submit digital artwork for an exhibition to be held at F3 – Friends Futures Factory in Phnom Penh on 4 October as part of Clean Energy Week.

The project seeks to inspire a hopeful, sustainable future through art, countering climate pessimism and empowering local communities.

The proposals should be for digital artworks that envision a sustainable, hopeful future rooted in local culture and community resilience. Solarpunk is a literary and artistic movement, close to the hopepunk movement, that envisions and works toward actualising a sustainable future interconnected with nature and community. The ‘solar’ represents renewable energy and an optimistic vision of the future that rejects climate doomerism, while the ‘punk’ refers to do-it-yourself and the countercultural, post-capitalist, and sometimes decolonial aspects of creating such a future.

Artists retain full copyright, and printing costs for the exhibition will be covered by the organisers. Works may be toured or shown online in the future, powered by Microgalleries. Eligibility

Artists of any medium and career level, primarily from Southeast Asia can apply.

This is an online course (Eastern Time)

Encompassing art, theory, and speculative fiction, solarpunk is a vision of futurity that asks: What sort of world can result from the alignment of nature and technology? Gesturing, on the one hand, to the sun—a resource, by its very nature, inhospitable to private property logic—and, on the other, to counterculture, solarpunk sees decommodified energy, sustainably harnessed, as core to human liberation. In contrast to the pessimism that, in the age of climate change, increasingly marks our cultural and political sensibilities (as well as certain strands of critical theorizing), solarpunk embraces a so-called radical optimism: its speculative fictions describe utopias; its aesthetics and architecture orient themselves to communalism; and its theory postulates a harmony of technology, nature, and human life (and the ability to achieve it)—even in the midst of climate catastrophe. But what would it mean—culturally, economically, politically—to “align” technology and nature? What, exactly, counts as nature? Why, pace the solarpunk imaginary, is “free” energy crucial to human emancipation? And what, more generally, is the value of speculative thinking and literature? Are solarpunk optimists, to borrow from Ursula K. Le Guin, “realists of a larger reality?”

This course will focus on the philosophical and imaginary turn towards radical optimism in the face of climate change. We will delve into the art, theory, and fiction associated with solarpunk, in order to think about problems of technology, nature, and productive human society—and how nature and material life can be integrated beyond systems of exploitation and oppression. We’ll consider the uses of utopia, the attractions of science fiction for non-capitalist thinking, the meaning of sustainability, debates over growth and degrowth, and the philosophical and cultural significance of affects of optimism and pessimism. Is contemporary pessimism a form of realism, or a lack of imagination? Readings will include works and excerpts from Ursula K. Le Guin, Kyle Powys Whyte, Andreas Malm, Rebecca Solnit, Becky Chambers’s Monk and Robot duology, and emerging literature within the solarpunk movement—both theoretical and literary.

Demonstrators in Kathmandu have defied a curfew and broken into and set fire to the parliament building. They had earlier stormed the office of the Nepali Congress, the country’s largest party, and several prominent politicians’ residences.

Nepalese Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli stepped down on Tuesday amid escalating anticorruption protests. The resignation came a day after 19 people were killed by security forces in violent demonstrations sparked by a social media ban.

Exuberant young people flooded the parliament complex upon hearing the news, waving their hands and shouting slogans as smoke billowed from parts of the building.

Solarpunk: A genre and a movement...

solarpunk dc, the movement, draws inspiration from solarpunk, the artistic genre. It began as an optimistic counter-movement to cyberpunk’s dystopian futures where artists and writers imagined communities powered by renewable energy, lush with green spaces, and fueled by collective care rather than collapse.

Over the last decade, solarpunk has evolved into both an ethos and a call to action. Instead of simply envisioning a better world, people are now actively building it.

In Washington, D.C., a city known for politics, but also home to vibrant neighborhoods and green innovation, the solarpunk spirit is already in motion.

In this article, we’ll walk you through the five pillars of the solarpunk ethos and how they’re coming to life in our region. Then we’ll tell you about our upcoming pop-up event with Big Planet Comics, where you can experience the genre firsthand, complete with a solarpunk starter kit, tote bag giveaways, community convos, and tasty drinks + snacks…all in an intimate space. 📒🌿

It’s been about 10 years since I first heard the word “solarpunk.” It came to me via Facebook feed, in the form of a link to Adam Flynn’s “Solarpunk: Notes Toward a Manifesto.” As a lapsed writer of SFF and one-time poli-sci major, this was a pretty irresistible title for me. So I clicked.

The piece still holds up (I’ve assigned it a couple times). It’s a brief and elegant medley of imagery, references, and sloganeering. It had stuff to say about pop culture, and politics, and the looming climate crisis. For me, the most exciting part was that it implied a science fiction that wasn’t ‘space manifest destiny’ (which I could tell wasn’t happening) or 'cyberpunk singularity’ (which I’d soured on living in the shadow of Silicon Valley) or ‘dystopia/apocalypse’ (which was oversaturated in the post-Hunger Games/Walking Dead media landscape of the teens). And that science fiction had a catchy name that seemed to open up bright vistas of previously clouded possibility.

I was living in the Bay Area at the time and realized that actually I kinda knew Adam. We had met a friend’s birthday escape room night in SF Japantown. So I sent him a message, and we got a beer and talked solarpunk, and pretty soon I started thinking about what I had to say on the topic.

The result was a longread-style essay on Medium titled “On the Political Dimensions of Solarpunk." Now, a decade later, this is one of the pieces of writing I’m most known for. It’s been read tens of thousands of times, cited in at least a dozen graduate theses, and translated into several languages. Here at around the 10 year mark of my involvement in solarpunk, I want to look back on this piece, talk about how it’s held up, how solarpunk has evolved, and what might be next.

China is on a mission, and it’s one that could change the face of its landscapes forever. The Gobi Desert, a vast and ever-expanding sandy expanse, has long posed a threat to the arable lands and communities on its periphery. But China has a plan—a colossal, audacious plan—to halt this relentless advance. Enter the Green Wall of China, a project as ambitious as it sounds. Similar to the Great Wall that once shielded the nation from invaders, this modern-day counterpart seeks to protect against a different kind of enemy: desertification. This living wall of trees stretches for thousands of kilometers, aiming to restore ecological balance and provide a green shield against the encroaching sands.

One of the key aspects of the Green Wall project is the involvement of local communities. By engaging farmers, herders, and residents in tree-planting efforts, the project fosters a sense of ownership and responsibility. This grassroots approach not only empowers communities but also provides economic benefits. The planting and maintenance of the Green Wall have created jobs, boosted local economies, and improved living standards. Moreover, the increased vegetation has enhanced agricultural productivity, providing a more stable food supply for the surrounding areas.

Dutch engineers are turning ordinary buildings into green, living ecosystems—literally. According to recent reports from the Netherlands, researchers have developed innovative “living bricks” that Support natural moss growth, transforming walls into vertical gardens that not only look stunning but help tackle urban Pollution and climate change.

These moss-covered bricks work like natural air filters. They absorb carbon dioxide and other air pollutants, actively purifying the surrounding air. And that’s not all—because moss retains moisture and thrives in humid environments, it also cools buildings by reducing heat absorption. That means these bricks can help cities stay cooler during increasingly frequent and severe heatwaves.

Walk outside into 100-degree heat wearing a black shirt, and you’ll feel a whole lot hotter than if you were wearing white. Now think about your roof: If it’s also dark, it’s soaking up more of the sun’s energy and radiating that heat indoors. If it were a lighter color, it’d be like your home was wearing a giant white shirt all the time.

This is the idea behind the “cool roof.” Last month, Atlanta joined a growing number of American cities requiring that new roofs be more reflective. That significantly reduces temperatures not just in a building, but in the surrounding urban environment. “I really wanted to be able to approach climate change in the city of Atlanta with a diversity of tactics,” said City Council member Liliana Bakhtiari, who authored the bill, “because it’s far easier to change a local climate than it is a global one.”

Extreme weather seems to make the headlines almost every week, as disasters increasingly strike out of season, break records, and hit places they never have before.

Decades of scientific research has proven that human-caused climate change is making some disasters more dangerous and more frequent. The burning of fossil fuels like oil, gas, and coal releases carbon dioxide into the Earth’s atmosphere, where it traps heat, warms the planet, and alters the conditions in which extreme weather forms. These changes are happening more rapidly than at any time in the last 800,000 years, according to climate records.

Below, we break down what experts know — and what they don’t — about the connections between climate change and flooding.

Up Top Acres Is building Farms Above Our Heads

During DC Climate Week, we literally toured one of the freshest rooftops in the city. Up Top Acres is a national leader in rooftop farming and urban agriculture, managing over 40 farms and gardens across the East Coast.

We visited their rooftop location just blocks from the Capitol, where they’re harvesting lettuce, basil, tomatoes, strawberries, kale, herbs, and new ways of thinking about what a building can be. These rooftop farms help reduce stormwater runoff, cool buildings, and bring people together.

Thermal insulation is a cornerstone of policies aimed at reducing the high energy consumption for heating and cooling buildings. 1 In many industrialized countries, building energy regulations require new and existing buildings to have insulated walls, floors, and roofs, as well as double- or triple-glazed windows. In cold weather, insulation slows down the heat loss from the interior to the exterior, reducing the energy use of the heating system. In hot weather, insulation delays the transfer of heat from the outside to the inside, thereby reducing the energy consumption of the air conditioning system.

Modern insulation methods involve the permanent addition of non-structural materials with high thermal resistance, such as fiberglass, cellulose, or mineral wool, to the building surfaces. Viewed in a historical context, this approach is unusual and stems from a shift in architectural style. 2 Preindustrial buildings often didn’t require extra insulation because they had a significant amount of thermal mass, which acts as a buffer to outside temperature fluctuations. Additionally, the building materials themselves could have high thermal resistance.

A return to vernacular buildings, which maintain interiors at a comfortable temperature through architectural design rather than energy-intensive technical installations, could significantly reduce energy consumption for heating and cooling. However, it’s not a short-term solution: it would require a large amount of time, money, and energy to replace the existing building stock.

Fortunately, history offers an alternative solution that can be deployed more quickly and with fewer resources: textiles. Before the Industrial Revolution, people added a temporary layer of textile insulation to either the interior or the exterior of a building, depending on the climate and the season. In cold weather, walls, floors, roofs, windows, doors, and furniture were insulated with drapery and carpetry. In hot weather, windows, doors, facades, roofs, courtyards, and streets were shaded by awnings and toldos.

VIENNA — At the edge of a wide, grassy park in Vienna, there's a modern building with lots of windows and a sleek wood facade. For the past six years, Sebastian Schublach has lived here with his family in a light-filled four-bedroom apartment on the fourth floor.

Up on the roof, where Schublach can relax in the communal library with a view of the city and park, there are solar panels to reduce climate pollution. There's a rooftop garden full of rosemary — the greenery helps keep the building cool in summer. Thick, insulated walls reduce the need for heating and cooling — Schublach's apartment doesn't even need an air conditioner. "It's not cold in winter times. It's not hot in summer times," Schublach says. "It's very comfortable."

In the United States, high-quality, climate-friendly apartments like this are mostly rare and unaffordable, says Daniel Aldana Cohen, professor of sociology at the University of California, Berkeley and co-director of the think tank the Climate and Community Institute. But in Vienna, sustainable buildings like Schublach's aren't just affordable, they're widespread. Schublach's apartment is what the Viennese call "social housing" — housing that's built or supported by the government. Now this social housing is a key driver of Vienna's ambitious climate action.