Climate Change, Species Extinction, and Human Infertility in James Bradley’s Clade

Abstract

This paper examines ecological threats in James Bradley’s Clade (2015), focusing on climate change and biodiversity loss across three generations of the Leith family. It explores the interplay between ecological crises and human experience through a qualitative approach informed by ecocriticism, grief theory, and indigenous studies. The novel’s episodic structure highlights the social, psychological, and existential implications of climatic uncertainty, which manifest as health crises, solastalgia, and ethical concerns about reproduction and survival. Major ecological challenges, such as species extinction, colony collapse disorder in bees, and the use of genetically engineered vegetation, reveal the complex connections among human actions, technological interventions, and vulnerable ecosystems. Clade fosters resilience, intergenerational obligation, and the prospect of ecological renewal while criticizing capitalist institutions that perpetuate environmental degradation. Bradley advances eco-fiction by combining intimate family experiences with global concerns to raise ecological awareness and encourage contemplation of humanity’s ethical duties in the Anthropocene. Clade has inspired several critical reviews. An example of this is Bradley’s important interview with Ian McCalman on “Storytelling in the Anthropocene”, where he discusses how consciously the issues of the Anthropocene and climate change are represented (Sydney Environment Institute, 2016). As stated by the writer, the word “clade” is a biological term that denotes “a group of organisms with a common ancestor”. Accordingly, in the narrative, this common ancestor is Adam Leith, the main character of the first chapter. Each chapter provides the viewpoint of a new member of the Leith family. The novel begins in the near future, with each of the ten chapters separated by a few years. In its entirety, Clade has a timeframe of approximately sixty to seventy years: Adam’s lifespan