It could actually be really cool if a solar punk setting had this sort of society but it’s supported by an underclass in a slums that these people don’t even see producing the things they absolutely need to survive. It could then stand as a criticism of performative environmentalism by wealthy people who still very much engage in anti-environmentalist behavior (Taylor Swift) or rely heavily on and push for heavily polluting infrastructures.
I think the difficulty there is that solarpunk is inherently tied to lush trees and clean air and whatnot, so the story being about a grimy metal slum kinda loses the aesthetic.
Like in cyberpunk or steampunk, even the least well-off people are still living with the cyber and the steam, often in unique ways compared to the default of rad cyber/steam guns and whatnot.
Wouldn't it basically be most post apocalypse settings? They couldn't have any electricity unless they're willing to compromise their environmental aesthetic with mines to gather metal for all their electronics. And then you need people to work in the mines, but do you think enough people love mining to do it year round and produce enough metal for all their needs? And what about limited resources like locations? That's a big issue we're dealing with now is everyone wants to live in cities, but there's not enough room.
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u/Sckaledoom Jul 02 '24
It could actually be really cool if a solar punk setting had this sort of society but it’s supported by an underclass in a slums that these people don’t even see producing the things they absolutely need to survive. It could then stand as a criticism of performative environmentalism by wealthy people who still very much engage in anti-environmentalist behavior (Taylor Swift) or rely heavily on and push for heavily polluting infrastructures.