Terry Birdgenaw on Sustainability
- realityskimming
- 2 days ago
- 6 min read
hosted by Nina Munteanu
April 15, 2026 - 06
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The Sustainability thread is a thematic series of articles, curated by Canadian SF author Nina Munteanu and sponsored by Reality Skimming Press. Pieces in the series appear twice a month. Query Nina Munteanu about appearing on the thread at nina.sfgirl@gmail.com
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Interview with Author Terry Birdgenow on Sustainability
My guest today is Canadian science fiction author and university professor of neuroscience and psychology Terry Birdgenaw. With over 150 scientific publications behind him, Birdgenaw recently took up science fiction writing with his series The Antunite Chronicles. The series represents his growing concern for social justice and climate issues that reflect his Metis indigenous roots and shared respect for the sanctity of human life and environmental stewardship.
Nina: · How would you define sustainability and what do you consider the key components to be sustained?
Terry: As an author, the phrase ‘sustainability without ambition’ means my writing focuses on the environment, ecology, and sustainability, even though these are not necessarily popular topics right now. My prose is not inspired by ‘writing to market’ as is recommended by those who advise authors on how to obtain fame and fortune, but by messages and a philosophy that I feel the world needs to survive these difficult times. These include messages of diversity, equity and inclusion that stress both looking out not only for one’s neighbours, but also for our environment and quality of life future generations. Since I write for young adults, I temper my darker messages about where our world is headed with lighter, more droll text. For example, I named two of the young insect characters in my allegorical Sci-Fi/fantasy story Gretant and Thunbug, as a humorous tribute to the youthful environmental activist Greta Thunberg.
Nina: In your community, what do you see as the major barriers and facilitators of sustainable living? What do you think are the major barriers and facilitators for organizations and nations?
Terry: Many organizations and nations worldwide prioritize economic growth over sustaining ecological health, and my community is no different. The irony at this point in our history is that focusing on sustainability will encourage both environmental subsistence and economic development. The major barrier to sustainability is our capitalist mindset, which is reluctant to shift its financial focus toward conservation because we prioritize higher profits for shareholders. We need to recognize that we are all shareholders in Earth’s assets, and it is our duty to conserve them, not just exploit them. Individuals and governments need to push for policies that curtail current trends and restore the environment as closely as possible to its pre-industrial robustness.
Nina: Industry and corporations (and governments, including our own) use the phrase “sustainable development.” What are your thoughts on that term? Do you think it is a useful term or not?
Terry: Sustainable development is a useful term because it suggests that the development of human societies should seriously consider sustainability alongside economic growth. This is a major focus of my second book, The Rise and Fall of Antocracy. My debut trilogy featured allegorical Sci-Fi novels that use insect characters as metaphors for human foibles, each focusing on a different subject to achieve political satire. While the first and third examined issues of diversity, equity and inclusion, Antocracy focused on environmental sustainability. As a Young Adult novel, the tenor struck a balance between light-hearted, humorous adventure and a darker, but not too subtle, philosophical message about the dangers of short-term political agendas that ignore climate change. Earth insects transported through a wormhole to a far-off planet survive and thrive due to reduced predation and a hospitable climate that allows them to live much longer. Yet, although their intellect soared, they didn’t have the wisdom to conserve resources while generating economic wealth. As an allegory for progress on Earth, insects on this far-off planet failed to recognize the importance of sustainable development. My insect narrator said it best in a poem that opened an early chapter:
As need sails windily into greed, a lust for industry, education, and avidity may list with gentry, stratification, and cupidity. And careless tacks jibe assiduity to asinine, as one luff s all perspicuity.
Thus, political lust for power can create aristocracies that promote caste systems where those at the top prioritize wealth over sustainable development. This is a worldwide trend that needs to be reversed.
Nina: Do you think it is possible to achieve sustainability within a capitalist system? Explain.
Terry: Yes, but it requires courage from the leaders of countries that support capitalism to develop long-term political goals that recognize sustainability as a critical partner in economic growth, rather than focusing on short-term gains and appeasing corporations that resist ecological regulations and aim to cut costs at the expense of our environment. We have learned in recent years that democracy and capitalism are systems that need content surveillance. As individuals, we can no longer assume that governments have either our needs or the planet’s best interests at heart. Just as we must hold our politicians and economic leaders accountable for supporting democratic institutions, we must push them to do what is right for our planet, whether by voting or protesting.
Nina: Do you feel that authors can play a role in encouraging a sustainable lifestyle? Do any particular writing genres play a more substantial role in establishing a narrative of sustainability?
Terry: Yes, the recent development of Cli-Fi, a branch of speculative fiction that focuses on potential climate catastrophes that our world may experience without urgent climate action, and eco-lit (including eco-fantasy and solar punk) that positions the environment as a central character or envisions an ecologically sustainable, optimistic future, shows that authors can play a role in encouraging a sustainable lifestyle.
Nina: How was sustainability achieved (or not achieved) in the world you created? Was it inspired from a real example? Please provide a short quote from your work (or another’s) and discuss its relevance to the topic of ‘sustainability beyond ambition’.
Terry: I used two techniques to enhance the originality of my novel, The Rise and Fall of Antocracy. The first was to have my insect characters speak in verse when they wanted to make a point. The second method was to use many of these rhymes to spoof or highlight quotes from famous individuals, past or present. This was partly motivated by the realization that the best way to lampoon the current U.S. administration was to reproduce their words in a manner even more ridiculous than the original quote. A good example of this technique in lampooning political speech was a rhyme based on Kellyanne Conway’s quote about ‘alternative truths’. Thus, one of my characters uses the poetic phrase:
“Though my reply on this matter may give you woe, it relies on the alternative truths that I know.”
As well as for satire, I also used verses to promote the ideas of influential speakers. In keeping with my Metis roots, I felt compelled to quote several famous Indigenous leaders or concepts from Indigenous lore. This is particularly relevant to the topic of sustainability, since many Indigenous philosophies emphasize our role as stewards of the environment. So, the quote from my book I wish to highlight for this purpose is:
“Our land is not bequeathed to us from our forebears—we lease it from our heirs.“
This rhyme is based on a quote from Chief Seattle, which clearly emphasizes sustainability by underscoring the importance of protecting the environment for future generations. So, we are not bestowed wealth associated with land to feed our ambitions, but rather we simply live off resources that we owe to future generations. The quote from this distinguished Indigenous leader not only inspired this line but also encouraged the major plot within my novel. However, unlike many Cli-Fi novels that only use catastrophes to warn us about the dangers of climate change, I was motivated by this quote to show readers not only how lessons can be learned from our mistakes, but also how what we discover can be used to reverse the devastation of past errors.
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Terry Birdgenaw is a Professor of Neuroscience and Psychology at McGill University who recently took up science fiction writing. He is also a Metis of Oji-Cree, English, Scottish, Dutch, and French-Canadian heritage, whose mother’s first cousin was a long-time lead elder of the Metis Nation of Canada. However, Terry would argue that his family assimilated into European Canadian culture by moving away from the Oji-Cree territory a few generations ago. Birdgenaw has published over 150 articles in scientific journals; The Antunite Chronicles trilogy is his first work of fiction. Birdgenaw used his scientific background to research many scientific facts to present an authentic science-based fiction story. His growing concern for social justice and climate issues reflects his Metis indigenous roots with a shared respect for the sanctity of human life and environmental stewardship.
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Nina Munteanu is an Canadian ecologist, author, editor and writing coach, notably but not exclusively in the realm of Speculative Fiction (SF/F). In addition to nine published novels, Munteanu has written short stories, articles and non-fiction books, which have been translated into several languages throughout the world. Munteanu is a member of SF Canada.
Nina Munteanu on LinkedIn. https://www.linkedin.com/in/ninamunteanu/
Nina Munteanu Writing Coach. https://ninamunteanu.me/
Nina Munteanu (Wikipedia). https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nina_Munteanu
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