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Kim Stanley Robinson, author of Red Mars<\/p>\n
Terese Loeb Kreuzer\/Alamy<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/p>\n
2026 marks the dawn of a momentous era: humankind taking our first steps towards colonising Mars.<\/p>\n
Later this year, NASA\u2019s ESCAPADE probes will fly to the surface of the Red Planet, capitalising on its proximity to Earth and paving the way for crewed flights in the near-future.<\/p>\n
Settlers may one day construct a number of self-sustaining cities, altering the barren Martian surface and allowing humans to flourish away from Earth. This will have the convenient side-effect of extending the lifespan of collective human consciousness.<\/p>\n
It\u2019s a scenario posed by both Elon Musk (who, in 2024, posted on X of his plans to land on Mars within two years \u2013 though his firm SpaceX has since shifted focus to the moon), and one of the most acclaimed science-fiction novels of the last century: 1992\u2019s Red Mars<\/em> by Kim Stanley Robinson.<\/p>\n Set in a then-future 2026, the book doesn\u2019t rely on conflict with aliens or implausible technology for its action. The focus is instead on the infighting that occurs between the humans who believe that intelligent life is sacred and should spread, and those who maintain that the solar system must remain largely undisturbed.<\/p>\n In terms of accurately imagining the future, author Robinson made some lucky picks. According to his novel, Earth in 2026 will be dominated by \u201ctransnationals\u201d, all-powerful corporations who preside over every facet of human activity. The United Nations is reduced to playing second fiddle to them: \u201cIt could not succeed against their desires and would probably never try, as it was their tool,\u201d writes Robinson.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n His vision shares traits with an earlier prediction made by Pulitzer prize-winning science writer David Dietz. When asked to describe 2026 back in 1926, Dietz imagined widespread and rampant over-cultivation of resources, warning that \u201cCompetition will be keener, prices higher and luxuries fewer\u201d.<\/p>\n Robinson used Red Mars<\/em> to show future humans exploiting the environment as well as each other. Climate change is depicted as one of the drivers in prompting humankind to leave Earth, with central character Ann Clayborne viewing Mars as a fresh start \u2013 not just another resource to be picked dry. \u201cYou can\u2019t just wipe out a three billion-year old planetary surface,\u201d she remarks as the landing party discuss terraforming.<\/p>\n Another settler, Frank Chalmers, recalls the death of Earth\u2019s coral reefs and panicked attempts to fertilise the Antarctic Ocean. His descriptions bear similarities with today\u2019s proposed \u201cclimate megaprojects\u201d, such as glacier stabilisation efforts and the re-greening of the Sinai peninsula.<\/p>\n Red Mars<\/em> continues a trend seen in older speculative fiction, such as H.G. Wells\u2019s The Time Machine<\/em> from 1895, through its portrayal of a population divided. The \u201chundred\u201d sent to the Red Planet are at loggerheads over how best to cultivate their new homeland, a theme further explored in the book\u2019s two sequels, Green Mars<\/em> and Blue Mars<\/em>.<\/p>\n Ann expresses concern over making the Martian air breathable for fear of harming any potential undiscovered native life: \u201cIt\u2019s unscientific, and worse, it\u2019s immoral,\u201d she remarks.<\/p>\n Her character\u2019s very human approach to a fantastic dilemma is one of the reasons why Red Mars<\/em> is today held in high regard. The book received both Nebula and British Science Fiction Association awards, and never-quite-realised TV adaptations have been announced at various times (Terminator <\/em>and Titanic <\/em>director James Cameron was at the helm of one before instead working on his Avatar<\/em> universe).<\/p>\n Red Mars\u2019<\/em> prequel novella \u2013 also called Green Mars<\/em> \u2013 was even included on a CD placed aboard NASA\u2019s Phoenix lander for its journey to the red planet in 2006, much to the delight of Robinson himself.<\/p>\n The author made further grounded guesses at the future in his writing outside of the Mars<\/em> trilogy. He has also warned of the dangers of autocratic politics as well as pursuing technology in ways that aren\u2019t inclusive.<\/p>\n In 2012, he published 2312<\/em>, a novel that imagined an overheated Earth, catastrophic sea-level rise and a dismissal of our own era as \u201cthe Dithering\u201d, in reference to humankind\u2019s slow response to the current climate emergency.<\/p>\n In the same year, he spoke at the San Francisco Humanity+ Conference, addressing the excitement around using pioneering technologies such as AI to overcome our problems. \u201c[It] maybe has to be All People Plus,\u201d he said, implying that tension between the haves and the have-nots is another potential challenge \u2013 one a lot closer to home than our neighbouring planet, 225 million kilometres away.<\/p>\n The New Scientist Book Club is currently reading Kim Stanley Robinson\u2019s <\/em>Red Mars<\/strong>. Sign up and read along with us <\/em><\/strong>here<\/em><\/strong>.<\/p>\n Topics:<\/p>\n<\/section><\/div>\n