The Environmental Movement in Spain: A Growing Force of Contention

Abstract

This paper analyses the evolution of the environmental movement in Spain, its organizational origins during the transition to democracy, its consolidation during the 1990s and its configuration as a central actor in the country's current contestation panorama. The movement's specific pattern of evolution is interpreted as the result of the interplay between political context (political opportunities) and movement identity features. The main conclusion is that the movement has undergone a particular process of organizational consolidation which, contrary to the dominant view in social movement literature, has led to (increasing) political leverage, while maintaining essential features of participatory organizational models. The movement's influence on specific policy processes and its relevant organizational role in recent anti-globalization mobilizations are considered examples of this process of organizational consolidation and increasing political leverage.