Panel Discussion at the Frankfurt Book Fair: Focus on Climate Fiction

This year’s Frankfurt Book Fair provided the ideal setting for an exciting and highly topical panel discussion by Climate Fiction Writers Europe e.V., an association founded by Uwe Laub. The event was well attended—a clear sign that interest in this genre is growing steadily.

Founding members Uwe Laub and Tibor Rode took their places on the podium on behalf of the association. Together, they provided insights into the genre of Climate Fiction and explained why it should be brought even more strongly to the attention of readers, especially in Germany.

Their core message was that, unlike specialist books, fictional literature has the power to make complex scientific and social contexts emotionally tangible – and thus to trigger processes of reflection and change. 

Tibor Rode used his most successful titles, Animal, Lupus, and The Forest (Der Wald), to show how he addresses the relationship between humans and nature in his thrillers and embeds ecological issues in gripping plots.

Uwe Laub also explained how he combines scientific scenarios with real dangers in his thrillers such as Storm, Leben (Life), and Blaues Gold (Blue Gold), thereby raising awareness of sensitive issues.

In the second part of the event, both authors presented the association Climate Fiction Writers Europe e.V. in detail—its goals, its mission, and the ways in which it aims to achieve them. These include international writing competitions, charitable readings, and networking with players in the book industry all across Europe. The aim is to further strengthen climate fiction and make it accessible to a wider audience. 

In closing, Uwe Laub emphasized that although the association he initiated is still young, it already has over 50 members from nine European countries. This is a strong foundation for making literary engagement with climate issues even more visible in the future.

After the event, there was time for discussions and book signings.