It is fairly obvious by now that the climate crisis cannot be addressed only through technological solutions: it also requires profound cultural shifts. Because of this, fiction about climate change will be immensely useful when navigating our way through the crisis: it allows us to sift through possible futures. And it's not only contemporary fiction that we can turn to – historical fiction can teach us a lot about this intensely modern problem too, as David Higgins and Tess Somervell explain. Historical depictions of nature show us that our attitude towards the environment can and should change. Richard Calland, meanwhile, explores how populist leaders can drive denialist narratives around climate change.