Pokémon is a Solarpunk Utopia

How sustainability, green energy, and hope propel the franchise.

The world of Pokémon; a magical world where you train tiny pocket monsters to do battle with one another. Have you also considered that this world is also a utopia of renewable, sustainable energy?

Take another look around this whimsical place. Nearly everything is powered by Pokémon — from electric types providing power to the grid to riding Pokémon as the default method of transportation — and the few things that aren’t are green and sustainable. Pokémon offers a hopeful future where humans are at peace with nature (not just Pokémon themselves) to the betterment of everyone who lives there.

You don’t have to look very hard to find instances of renewable energy and lack of pollution. The Valley Windworks close to Mt. Coronet, a massive wind farm high on a mountain. The endless, popular bike routes and walking trails connect cities. Solar power is present even in smaller locales like New Bark Town. In the games, there’s minimal urban sprawl and the only car I can remember seeing anywhere is the moving van your mom shoved you in the back of at the start of Ruby/Sapphire/Emerald. Then there are the large wildlife protection zones, carefully managed and protected, allowing in only a few trainers at a time and ensuring the Pokémon within…