Children of Dune

The Dune Chronicles is often regarded as one of the early examples of cli-fi, or climate fiction. One of the major themes in Children of Dune is the environmental message regarding the delicate ecosystem of the planet. In Dune, Arrakis is a desert planet characterized by its hostile conditions: The native Fremen people must practice innovative and resilient ways to stay alive. This includes stillsuits, which conserve the body’s water, and doorseals, which keep the arid wind out of their dwellings. The Fremen also distill water from the deceased and capture moisture from the air with wind traps, storing their collection of water in communal cisterns. Much of Fremen survival revolves around the sanctity of water, and the harsh desert environment instills the values of communal vigilance, discipline, and austerity in addition to innovation. The dominance of the desert biome earns the planet its local name, Dune. Not only do the Fremen people live deeply connected to the desert, but they also revere the other organisms that are part of its ecosystem, most notably the giant sandstorm. Shai-Hulud is the name given to the sandworm as God in an animistic worship of the creature. 

At the end of Dune, Paul’s empire accelerates a terraforming project to transform the desert land into a lush and water-filled landscape.