Climate Crisis and Capitalist Dystopia: The Anthropocene Narrative in The Windup Girl

This study examines the climate crisis and capitalist dystopia as central narratives of the Anthropocene in Paolo Bacigalupi’s climate fiction The Windup Girl . The novel depicts a world where genetic engineering has rapidly advanced amid the depletion of fossil fuels and widespread species extinction. In this setting, the climate crisis is not merely an environmental issue but a transformative force reshaping human life and societal structures. Bacigalupi critiques the expansion of agribusiness corporations and biotechnology, arguing that they intensify capitalist violence and accelerate ecological destruction. Moreover, the Anthropocene crisis endangers both human and nonhuman life, as science and technology, driven by capital, commodify living beings. Rather than offering solutions, genetic manipulation gives rise to new forms of catastrophe. This paper explores the collective anxieties surrounding climate change and the Anthropocene crisis in The Windup Girl and highlights Bacigalupi’s call for ethical responsibility in confronting these urgent challenges.