Working-class people, Extinction Rebellion and the environmental movements of the Global North

Abstract

This chapter critiques the myth that working-class people do not care about the environment. It argues that their lack of representation in the mainstream environmental organisations is more a result of the inaccessibility of these organisations. Drawing on the author’s personal experience as a life-long environmental activist from a working-class background, her prior career as a community development worker in disadvantaged communities and relevant academic research, the chapter discusses the barriers to engaging with mainstream environmentalism for working-class people. It focusses on the problematic tactics and discourse of Extinction Rebellion as a recent example of the ongoing existence of such barriers. Finally, two forms of ‘working-class environmentalism’ are highlighted: the trade union health and safety movement and the environmental justice movement.