Political Economy Through Speculative Fiction: The Case of New York 2140

To mark PPE@10 this feature continues a series of posts to celebrate ten years of Progress in Political Economy (PPE) as a blog that has addressed the worldliness of critical political economy issues since 2014. 

The experimental world of speculative fiction is like a history of political economy. It explores topics like dystopias, post-scarcity, automation, and AI. But it doesn’t stop there! It also dives into radical ideas like abolishing money and property, imagining a world where cash is irrelevant and owning property is no longer the ultimate goal. On the flip side, you’ve got speculative fiction that embraces the techno-optimistic visions of Silicon Valley capitalism, full of shiny gadgets and smart tech. This fresh take on ‘how we could do things differently’ isn’t just for daydreaming; it’s a powerful way to shake up traditional economic ideas and imagine what future societies might look like.

Take Kim Stanley Robinson’s New York 2140, for example. It imagines a New York City partly submerged due to rising sea levels caused by climate change. The story follows a diverse group of characters navigating a city transformed by its new waterways. But it’s not just about people swimming to work—there are huge social and environmental challenges at play. The novel explores themes of resilience, capitalism, and how humans respond to the climate crisis in this waterlogged urban jungle. And while the stakes are high, it’s also about how people adapt to this new reality. Written after the 2008 financial crisis, the novel takes readers on a wild ride through a climate-changed future, where finance capital and everyday people are in constant conflict.

The novel kicks off with sea level drama, thanks to two catastrophic ‘Pulses’ that send water levels rising by ten and forty feet. The disaster wipes out millions of people and floods coastal cities like New York. Manhattan? Permanently underwater now, with the area up to Central Park turning into the ‘intertidal’ zone, full of risks and rewards. Forget trying to fix climate change—it’s all about adapting to the new normal. Picture skyscrapers partially submerged, animals needing human help to migrate, and, of course, disaster-loving capitalists finding ways to profit from the chaos.

Now, picture Lower Manhattan as a ‘SuperVenice’. The lower floors are practically underwater, transformed into makeshift fight clubs, while finance bros zip around in speedboats, making sure capitalism stays alive and kicking. Wall Street? Oh, it still operates as the financial hub of the global economy! The whole place is a wild blend of disaster and cash—the two things capitalists absolutely love and cherish. Welcome to the future, where climate and finance marry each other!

Meanwhile, Upper Manhattan becomes a high-rise paradise for the ultra-rich, who live in ‘superscrapers’ far above the waterline. It’s a classic tale of two cities, with the wealthy cashing in on environmental collapse while the poor and the vulnerable struggle to survive below. And when the floods get too intense? The rich just jet off to places like Denver, leaving the water problems behind.

In a nutshell, New York 2140 throws serious shade at the power of finance in our system. It shines a light on how everything, even disaster, gets turned into a money-making opportunity. The crises themselves open doors for capitalists to make profits, turning the world into a playground for the wealthy. The novel shows how finance and disaster become deeply intertwined.

Alongside the power of finance capital, we also see the power of the people—working class and middle class folks developing horizontal forms of resistance against finance capital. This group, a mix of working-class and middle-class individuals, organizes alternative ways of living and embraces communal values of sharing and solidarity.

One of the key themes in the novel is the emergence of alternative economies in response to the flooded city and climate chaos. The novel shows barter systems and local exchange networks flourishing as regular currency loses its value. People trade goods and services directly, creating a survival strategy in the city’s new reality. Flooded streets become bustling markets where currency isn’t money but whatever you can offer your neighbors. This barter system embraces the principle of ‘from each according to their ability, to each according to their needs’, creating a new economy that keeps the city alive.

Middle-class homeowners also organize into a ‘Householders Union’, equipping their buildings with solar panels, gardens, and even livestock. The Lower Manhattan Mutual-Aid Society, or ‘lame-ass’, helps share communal resources during disasters. While the wealthy retreat to their skyscrapers, the rest of the population turns to communal living. The climate crisis, which displaces and kills millions, radicalizes many people. They hold bankers, financiers, and the speculative urbanism regime responsible for the crisis, blaming them for ignoring the environmental costs of economic growth.

Speculative fiction has the power to shape our imaginations and challenge the status quo. It offers us alternative economic systems and pushes us to rethink what’s normal, inspiring us to build more eco-friendly, fair economic structures in the real world.

So, why not dive deeper into speculative fiction? It’s not just about flying cars and futuristic gadgets—it’s a toolkit for reimagining our world and exploring better ways to live. Speculative fiction gives us hope for a fairer, more exciting future.