Ministry for the Future
Episode 4: Foundation

How will our near climate future look like? Science fiction author Kim Stanley Robinson’s novel The Ministry for the Future has been celebrated as a science-based yet hopeful appeal to politicians and the public. Set in a near future that, in many ways, feels alarmingly close, the novel follows the efforts of a fictional UN institution based in Zurich and its determined leader as they tackle the devastating impacts of climate change.

Zurich’s Theater Neumarkt and the Collegium Helveticum take the fictional founding year of the Ministry as an opportunity to discuss important climate change issues within scenarios expected in 2034. The theater stages a four-part live series that envisions Zurich in the near future. Experts immerse themselves in these future scenarios to engage with the audience and discuss our shared future.

Episode 4: Foundation

In the final episode, the setting returns to the present—standing at the brink of what could be the foundation of a real Ministry for the Future. This moment is not exactly as Robinson’s novel envisioned, but one truth remains clear: the second-best time to act is now.

At the Collegium, we gather insights from the previous episodes, bringing together activists, policymakers, entrepreneurs—and you. Looking backward, forward, and beyond, we ask: What does it truly mean to take Robinson’s vision seriously? Is an international institution the right tool for the challenge? And how do we take the first steps toward making it a reality?

Other episodes of this series

A collaboration with

Theater Neumarkt