Simon Orpana Knihy

This graphic novel confronts our habits, narratives, and fantasies to help break our petroleum dependency. It posits that the greatest barriers to addressing climate change are cultural rather than technological or governmental. By fostering a deeper understanding of our reliance on fossil fuels, we can enact meaningful change. Through a provocative graphic format, the work draws from history, critical theory, and popular culture to explore how fossil fuels shape our identities and relationships, impeding our ability to envision sustainable futures. As our planet faces ecological collapse, feelings of helplessness can arise. However, examining the cultural dimensions of our situation reveals the potential for social transformation amid crises. Author and artist Simon Orpana engages with contemporary scholarship in Energy Humanities to challenge the narratives that sustain our attachment to fossil fuels. By exposing how petroculture consistently falls short of delivering “the good life,” the book urges us to awaken from fantasies that hinder progress toward renewable energy. Written in an accessible graphic format, the work critiques progress narratives that portray energy-intensive societies as inevitable. By uncovering the contingencies and coercions behind this myth, it opens the door to imagining progressive alternatives. Rather than relegating climate change to technological elites, it addresses the everyday realities th