Climate Movement Research Articles

Strategic authenticity in the promotion of a protest action on social media: the case of the School Strike 4 Climate in Sydney

ABSTRACT Protest organisers around the world are increasingly trying to pressure governments to act on climate change. Young people have been at the forefront of the mobilisation to raise awareness about the issue and to call for change. Student movements across the globe are redefining the political through innovative and creative actions. I focus on one of these actions with a case study of how young people from the School Strike 4 Climate (SS4C) movement in Sydney use social media to promote a protest event. In doing so, I propose the concept of ‘strategic authenticity’ to define the balance between professional communication and authenticity in young peoples’ communicative action online. Such a balance is achieved by melding well-crafted content with humour and references to popularity and internet culture. Studying students’ practices of ‘strategic authenticity’ contributes to deepening our understanding of democratic renewal and young people’s political engagement in the context of the climate change movement.

The rise of parent led climate movement from care to climate action

In recent years, new social movements advocating climate action have emerged, varying in demographics and tactics. A notable parent-led movement, driven by the moral imperative to care for future generations, offers a unique perspective on climate action. Despite its growing presence in local and regional debates, it remains under-explored. This Brief Communication highlights the movement’s potential to reshape climate action narratives and introduces an open-access database mapping its global reach, suggesting avenues for future research.

Political Imaginaries in the Climate Movement: Youth-Led Groups Constructing Plural Views of the Future

Political Imaginaries in the Climate Movement: Youth-Led Groups Constructing Plural Views of the Future

‘It's good what we're doing and it's scary what we're facing’: young people’s care-ful environmental action in the UK

ABSTRACT In this paper, we argue for greater recognition of young people’s contributions to environmental action through social and environmental justice. It draws on findings from research based on eleven organisations in the UK exploring young people’s connection with environment-related collective action and activism in the UK landscape. Building on theoretical arguments of ethics of care and implicit activism and capturing a range of practices of young people, the paper explores young people’s multiple framing(s) of activisms – towards the environment and each other. Drawing on the experiences of young people and facilitators within these organisations, we unpack the experiences and representation of minoritised groups in the climate movement and other forms of environmental engagement. The findings demonstrate thoughtful and effective approaches towards inclusion within the UK context and in terms of global climate justice but also highlight a need for more intersectional approaches and awareness of enduring barriers often relating to racialised identities.

Radical climate movements—is the hype about “eco-terrorism” analogy, warning or propaganda?

Is the hype about “ecoterrorism” analogy, warning or propaganda? In order to answer this question, we start by defining radicalization, terrorism, and civil disobedience to develop systematic categories which allow us to pursue two specific research goals: First, we analyse how the breadth of the German climate movement is represented in the media, how the issue of “terrorism” is taken up and with what consequences for the debate. Here we make a discursive argument. Secondly, we use the information provided by the media reports, triangulate it with primary data from the movements analysed and secondary data from academic publications in order to assess the validity of the accusation of terrorism. Here we make a factual argument about the current properties of the climate movement. Finally, we bring both arguments together and argue that even the more radical currents of climate activism should not be classified as terrorists. What we can see is that there has been an attempt to criminalize demands of the radical climate movement during which large parts of the German print media have become willing handmaidens in the delegitimization of more or less radical climate groups. More recently, very first signs of a backlash against the criminalization can be detected.

Pansy asses and terrorists: Sensibilities of anti-environmentalist toxic speech against Extinction Rebellion Finland

Hate speech against environmental activists has been on the rise globally, alongside a forceful criminalization of the climate movement in Western Europe. This article analyses anti-environmentalist speech and actions against Extinction Rebellion (XR) Finland, an environmental movement that employs non-violent direct action and civil disobedience to persuade individuals and institutions to address the ongoing ecological emergency. The materials consist of online commenting evoked by the news coverage of XR Finland’s protests in October 2022 and May 2023, and ethnographic data from the protest sites. The data ranges from scorn and stigmatizing insults to fantasies of violence and physical assaults at the demonstration sites. The article discusses this data through the concept of toxic speech and explores the different sensibilities of such speech: (1) the ironic and dismissive sensibility, (2) the emotionally invested sensibility and (3) the punitive, resentful sensibility. This article highlights how these sensibilities and related affective practices are embedded in and compounded by gendered, class-based, ageist and ableist systems of power and argues that anti-environmentalist toxic speech contributes to environmental activism’s delegitimization and stigmatization. It suggests that toxic speech normalizes violence towards activists and can ultimately violate activists’ civil and political rights.

Environmental protest outcomes in austerity-era neoliberalism: perseverance and politics

ABSTRACT This paper explores environmental protest outcomes during the decade of the 2010s in the UK. In doing so, it presents the results of a qualitative comparative analysis (QCA) of all 54 major environmental protest campaigns during the period. The study explores alternative causal conditions relating to a number of strategic and tactical options that environmental movements typically face. It finds that two alternative routes were sufficient for environmental protest campaigns to be successful: perseverance over time, in which longstanding campaigns staged a relatively large number of protest events; and instances where opposition political parties drew on, and supported, the demands of protesters. Interestingly, some of the more contested tactical options, including whether to adopt more or less disruptive methods, were inconclusive in explaining the successful outcome of protest-led campaigns. The article argues that this supports the case for tactical diversity. The findings show how in a context of austerity-era neoliberalism, where the government was (ostensibly) committed to tackling climate change, then protests (regardless of the organisational form or type of protest) proved able to exert effective pressure upon the government and firms, to ensure some degree of concession to the climate movement, provided that the protest campaign was able to persevere over time and/or secure the support of opposition political parties. This suggests a susceptibility, by both the state and firms during austerity-era neoliberalism, to (considerable) popular and political pressure arising from protest, but in the absence of which economic interests would otherwise take priority over environmental concerns.

Green momentum? An age-period-cohort analysis of support for the environmental movement in 24 countries

Over the past decade, the climate movement and especially action groups like Fridays for Future have been effective in raising awareness of environmental issues and mobilizing protesters, especially among younger age groups. However, it remains unclear whether this recent surge in activism reflects a broader societal shift or if this trend is primarily driven by younger generations. Using data from 24 countries that participated in waves three and four of the International Social Survey Programme Environment Module, this study employs, for the first time, an Age-Period-Cohort (APC) analysis of environmental Public-Sphere Behavior in an international comparative context. Based on Bayesian negative binominal multilevel models, the results provide empirical evidence for a period effect: PSB have indeed increased across generational cohorts and age groups.

Images of the Present and Possible: Analyzing the Climate Movement Through Its Utopias

The article analyzes utopian thinking within the current climate movement, with a particular focus on the Finnish movement, and develops analysis of contemporary society through utopias. Empirically, it is based on material collected in the context of a protest week called ‘Utopia rebellion’, in Helsinki in 2022. We use material such as statements, blog posts, and social media content produced by climate activists, as they aimed to form an idea of utopian society beyond their demands on climate policy. We argue that in order to understand any utopian vision properly, one needs to understand not only how it conceptualizes the ideal society, but also how it (implicitly) interprets the nature and problems of the existing one, and the function of utopias. From this starting point, we develop an analysis of the movement by looking at its utopias, conceptions of the present, and uses of utopias. In the image of the movement formed this way, the key components emerging from the analyses are related to redefinitions of work, reconnecting with one’s community, and the possibilities of identities to flourish.

On Andreas Malm’s How to Blow Up a Pipeline

Abstract Andreas Malm says sabotage is needed to save the world from climate catastrophe. In this Forum, scholars of pacifism and nonviolence caution against such a course of action by pointing to several important factors at play in determining the success or otherwise of activist campaigns, including barriers to participation, organisational dynamics, loyalty shifts, the backfire effect, and the role of framing and public opinion. Ongoing research into pacifism and nonviolence presents a nuanced picture of the current strategic landscape of climate activism, revealing lessons that the climate movement must consider as it reflects on what repertoire of action to embrace to enhance its effectiveness and mitigate the unfolding climate emergency.

Faking, optimising and conceding to power: Social movement understandings of social media power

This article examines how social movement actors understand the role of social media in their activism. Concerns about commercialisation, individualisation and surveillance have replaced much optimism about the potential of social media for progressive activism. Therefore, we examine social movement actors’ theories and assumptions about social media, focusing on climate activism and criticism of unsustainable corporate practices. Theoretically, we draw on social imaginaries to develop the concept of media practices to consist of three dimensions: doing, knowing and assuming. Empirically, we draw on interviews with media and communication managers from the climate movement, including Greenpeace, Extinction Rebellion and the World Wildlife Foundation. We show that social movement actors’ media practices are characterised by theories of faking power, optimising power and conceding to power, which are underpinned by a social media imaginary of commercial logics.

From Denial to the Culture Wars: A Study of Climate Misinformation on YouTube

ABSTRACT Climate change is becoming a new front in the culture wars, with YouTube as one of its key arenas. Centered on an “Alternative Influence Network” orbiting Spain’s right-wing populist party Vox, this article examines the underexplored role of YouTube political influencers in propagating climate misinformation. Using thematic analysis, it uncovers instances of “post-denial” narratives that accept the reality of climate change while targeting climate policy and the climate movement, often through conspiracy theories and misogynistic rhetoric. Disagreements extend beyond policy specifics, intertwining with ongoing culture wars against a “woke wave” encompassing feminism, anti-racism, and now environmentalism. Amidst escalating opposition to Net Zero policies, the study sheds light on how these climate narratives reinforce “us” vs “them” binaries and appeal to feelings of resentment among young white males disoriented by rapid cultural change, who increasingly turn to YouTube for news and community. Despite these divisions, the study identifies potential common ground in environmental values and benefits like clean air.

Civil society elites: managers of civic capital

The article takes the first steps towards a general theory of civil society elites, a concept not fully developed in either elite or civil society research. This conceptual gap hampers academic and public understanding of the dynamics at the top of civil society. To address this, the authors rely on the theoretical framework of Pierre Bourdieu to build a theory of civil society elites as managers of civic capital. This role is illustrated through examples from the differently institutionalised UK and Nordic civil societies. The first part of the article introduces the notion of civic capital and its emergence during the 19th century. The second part focuses on elite positions in civil society fields, demonstrating how civil society elites, as managers of civic capital, navigate between their constituents and other elite groups. These elites wield the power to consecrate social relations while misrecognising their own symbolic and economic gains. Recent scandals in the climate movement and UK and Nordic civil societies shed light on the symbolic aspects of the positions of civil society elites. This comprehensive analysis contributes to elite and civil society research and enriches public discussions about the role of civil society leaders in society.

CLIMATE SUBJECTIVITY: YOUTH, INNOCENCE AND WILLFULNESS IN THE SWEDISH CLIMATE MOVEMENT

This article explores the changing notions of political subjectivity in the climate movement in the Global North. Previously, activists have embraced climate justice ideals, assigning responsibility to the Global North and emphasizing solidarity with the Global South. However, a new parallel subject position is gaining prominence within the movement: "the child." Drawing on ethnographic fieldwork, the article analyzes interpretations of the child within the movement, examining the association of this subject position with innocence and the right to protection. Youth activists, addressed as children, grapple with this identity, navigating between embracing and feeling constrained by it. This child identity leads to an alternative subjectivity that resonates with the notion of "the willful child." This article reflects on the potential and limitations of these child subjectivities, shedding light on the dynamics of political subject formation in the face of the climate crisis and in social movements in general. It highlights how adopting the child identity can empower and restrict youth activists in their efforts to advocate for climate action.

Exploring Leadership approaches of Women in Climate Justice: Pathways to Impact and Empowerment

This paper will examine the role of women in promoting peace through leadership in the climate justice space; through building an inclusive climate movement to tackle the triple planetary crisis facing the globe. Studies reflect that marginalised populations are disproportionately affected by climate change and environmental degradation, particularly indigenous communities and women, despite contributing the least to climate catastrophe. Women are among the 32.6 million climate migrants and refugees each year, who are in turn, at risk of experiencing gender-based violence. Standing at the frontlines of the triple planetary crisis, women are ideally placed to take up leadership roles within efforts toward achieving climate justice and a sustainable future. Women serve as primary caregivers, often responsible for providing food and water security, sustaining families and households in climate-affected regions. They are the first guardians and caretakers of our youth, possessing the necessary emotional depth, compassion, and maternal instinct to promote the values underpinning climate justice, which at its core, advocate for the sustenance of Mother Earth through an empathetic lens. Women, at the helm of community development and holistic wellbeing, are integral to building peaceful global communities through forming compassionate networks of changemakers, leaders and entrepreneurs adopting sustainable livelihood approaches. Following a conference on “Women, Religion and Climate Change, working together to move faster on climate change” which took place at Wilton Park in the UK in September 2023, an official report of findings and recommendations was produced, highlighting the real-life experiences, opportunities, and challenges within this arena. This report will serve as a key case study for this paper, drawing on discussions and focus groups among the diverse multi-lateral participants, influencers, and faith leaders present at this event. This paper will consider emerging approaches related to female leadership including the capability approach, the whole community approach, and the Islamic concept of Maslaha [Maslaha is an Arabic word, which means public interest]. These approaches also promote peaceful and sustainable societies and communities.

How dare we? The relation between language use, global identity, and climate activism

Identifying with and caring for people all over the world (i.e., a global identity) is positively related to pro-environmental behaviour. However, less is known how to foster such a global identity. Drawing on social identity theory, we investigated whether using inclusive (vs. exclusive) language in the context of demonstrations for climate protection increases people’s global identity. Moreover, we examined whether inclusive language use strengthens people’s intentions to engage in pro-environmental activism and their pro-environmental policy support, while reducing their denial of climate change implications, through a heightened global identity. In our pre-registered online experiment with a convenience sample mostly living in Germany (N = 307), we found no significant impacts of language use. Language effects did also not depend on people’s prior identification with the climate movement. However, our results show that, in line with our assumptions, the stronger people’s global identity, the more they intended to become pro-environmentally active, the more they supported pro-environmental policies, and the less they denied their impact on climate change.

Climate change and human health: a primer on what women's health physicians can do on behalf of their patients and communities.

To describe the current state of knowledge on the impact on climate change on women's health and to highlight opportunities for healthcare providers to serve as advocates and subject matter experts. Healthcare providers are a uniquely respected voice in society but have not used this advantage to advocate for their communities and participate in mitigation, adaptation, and resiliency efforts on behalf of their patients and communities. Healthcare providers feel that climate change is real, is human caused, and is currently or will shortly negatively impact their patients. They feel unprepared to serve as leaders and advocates due to time limitations and a knowledge gap. Resources in the current climate movement can help close this gap.

Who are climate activists and what do they do? A study of diversity in the U.S. climate movement

Who are climate activists and what do they do? A study of diversity in the U.S. climate movement

I Just Don't Quite Fit In: How People of Colour Participate in Online and Offline Climate Activism

Participation in climate activism is often facilitated by joining groups on digital platforms, for online and in-person participation in the movement. However, despite the easy access to communities digitally, people of colour (POC) are underrepresented in the UK in climate activism. Little research provides insight into why the voices of POC are underrepresented and how to level the playing field for participation in climate activism, which is just as important to POC. To investigate this, we conducted a qualitative semi-structured interview study with POC who are active in the climate movement (N=12). We identified five main themes: (i) gaining membership to the climate activism community, (ii) experiencing challenges in belonging with respect to identity characteristics, (iii) participating in protest through relevant issues and values, (iv) feeling fear due to differences and marginalisation, and (v) developing strategies for control and utilising anonymity. Our findings show how people's racial and other minoritised identity is crucial in influencing their sense of belonging and community and in turn their participation in climate activism and perhaps other opinion-based movements. For movements to be more inclusive, we urge the HCI and CSCW community to rethink designs influenced by structures of power and centre diverse values and issues instead of universal ones to amplify the voices of minoritised identities. Suggestions on how technologies could achieve this are discussed.

Why are we Participate in the Climate Movement?: Focusing on Values, Policies, and Climate Change Factors

Why are we Participate in the Climate Movement?: Focusing on Values, Policies, and Climate Change Factors