Unleashing Imagination: How Fantasy Fiction Fights Climate Change, with children's author Laurel Colless

Stories for the future

My guest today is Laurel Colless, a sustainability writer, kids' science fantasy novelist, and founder of the Carbon Busters Club, a climate-science adventure program for children.

With over 25 years of experience working in environmental business and journalism across Asia, the US, and Europe, she combines her expertise in sustainability and technology communications with her passion for education and storytelling.

As an Al Gore Climate Reality Leader, Laurel's work spans ESG reporting, stakeholder engagement strategies, and creating new mythologies for today’s youth that reflect the climate challenges of their generation.

🔑 Takeaways

• How Laurel uses science-fantasy to turn climate anxiety into playful wonder—and real-world action.
• The origin story behind her eco-adventure series: boarding school for climate-defenders with sea‑demon villains!
• Why kids—and grown-ups—need imaginative narratives to make sense of climate change.
• How her global journey through journalism, sustainability, and folklore informed her fiction and climate teaching.

• LaurelColless.com – Find all her books, background story, and sign-up for her newsletter

For more ways to dive deeper into tomorrow’s stories, check out vklavenes.substack.com and storiesforthefuture.com for essays, tools, and behind‑the‑scenes.

Want to be a guest on Stories for the future: Beyond the Bubble? Send Veslemoy Klavenes-Berge a message on PodMatch.

You can always find more information about the podcast and my work on storiesforthefuture.com

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