Cyberpunk has only become nostalgic lately.
“ Perhaps you might have also picked up on one of the more discreet but omnipresent characteristics of Schuiten’s work (and thus the Solarpunk aesthetic), which is his undeniable appreciation for Art Nouveau.”
Its proponents seem to be flogging the Green New Deal, or related policies, but is this spontaneous, done out of conviction, or is it more coordinated?
I guess not.
The punk ethos is primarily made up of beliefs such as non-conformity, anti-authoritarianism, anti-fascism, anti-corporatism, a do-it-yourself ethic, anti-consumerist, anti-corporate greed, direct action and not "selling out".
People often complain that the idea of cyberpunk is being turned from a protest against a dystopian future to a bland scifi style with fog and neon lights.
Instead, The Dispossessed by Ursula K. Le Guin is an excellent example of solarpunk.
Cyberpunk and steampunk both fetishize aesthetics from the past - 80's corporate Japan and the Victorian Britain, respectively, - there's a sort of nostalgic longing that keeps them culturally relevant. Solarpunk tries to fetishize sustainability in a similar way, but I'm not sure if there's enough foundation there to build onto.