The national and the local: Relationships among environmental movement organisations in London

Abstract

It is frequently asserted that national environmental movement organisations (EMOs) have, as an unintended consequence of their public relations strategies, a tendency to ignore local activists. Using a variety of research methods – participant observation, semi-structured interviews, a survey and network analysis of national, regional and local EMOs in London – we explode that myth. Although national EMOs cooperate mostly with other national EMOs, they do not turn their backs on local campaigners. On the contrary, several highly influential national EMOs (Friends of the Earth, Greenpeace and Campaign to Protect Rural England) seek to involve grassroots activists. Local campaigners make surprisingly few demands on national EMOs, understand that national EMOs have resource constraints, and do not generally feel marginalised.