Environmental Activism Research Articles

Comparative Discourse Strategies in Environmental Advocacy: Analysing the Rhetoric of Greta Thunberg and Chris Packham

This paper examines the rhetoric and argumentation of two prominent environmental activists, Greta Thunberg and Chris Packham. From the perspective of Ecolinguistics, Thunberg has given voice to a generational movement for change, galvanising young people everywhere through high-profile protests and speeches. Packham represents British mainstream environmentalism, notably as the presenter of the acclaimed nature documentary ‘Springwatch’. We argue that their influence partially stems from their alignment with dominant cultural narratives: Thunberg’s emphasis on intergenerational discord and Packham’s connection to the natural world. We analyse both figures via the lens of the ‘emotionalisation of media discourse’, highlighting argumentation strategies that feature expressions of negative emotions of which anger is a type. Thunberg’s famous ‘How dare you?’ outburst at the 2019 UN Climate Action Summit and Packham’s statement to Novara Media, ‘I am more angry now than at any point since my 20s’, exemplify this trend. We explore the pragmatic implications of their argumentative and discursive strategies, suggesting that while both have significantly elevated the profile of ecological activism, their discourse may also have a potentially divisive aspect.

Green purchase behaviour of Arab millennials towards eco-friendly products: the moderating role of eco-labelling

Purpose This study aims to examine millennial consumers’ intentions towards purchasing eco-friendly products in the emerging Arab nation of Oman, focusing on the moderating role of eco-labelling (EL). Design/methodology/approach Environmental knowledge (EK) and environmental concern (EC) are integrated into the theory of planned behaviour (TPB) framework as independent variables, along with EL as a moderating variable. The data was collected through a self-administered survey and consisted of 705 random responses that was tabulated and analysed through the structural equation modelling technique. Findings ECs, subjective norms (SNs) and perceived behavioural control (PBC) significantly influence consumer attitudes towards green eco-friendly products. Consumers’ EK and attitudes positively influence the purchase intention (PI) to make green purchases. SNs and PBC substantially influence consumer attitudes towards adopting green products. However, the findings reveal a non-significant moderating influence of EL on the relationship between EC and PI for millennial Omani consumers. Research limitations/implications The findings are limited to only one Arab country, Oman, which limits the scope of the study. This study contributes to the TPB by using additional dimensions to examine the green purchasing behaviour of millennials. Practical implications Marketers can use these insights to develop strategies that emphasise the environmental benefits of products, leverage social influences and empower consumers to make environmentally conscious choices. Incorporating EL and green packaging can enhance the visibility and attractiveness of green products. Social implications Promoting environmental education, awareness campaigns and policy interventions that highlight the importance of eco-friendly product choices can foster more sustainable consumption patterns among Arab consumers. Originality/value To the best of the authors’ knowledge, this is the first study to examine the green PIs of millennials in an Arab context, specifically focusing on the moderating role of EL.

Potential applications of microbial genomics in nuclear non-proliferation.

As nuclear technology evolves in response to increased demand for diversification and decarbonization of the energy sector, new and innovative approaches are needed to effectively identify and deter the proliferation of nuclear arms, while ensuring safe development of global nuclear energy resources. Preventing the use of nuclear material and technology for unsanctioned development of nuclear weapons has been a long-standing challenge for the International Atomic Energy Agency and signatories of the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons. Environmental swipe sampling has proven to be an effective technique for characterizing clandestine proliferation activities within and around known locations of nuclear facilities and sites. However, limited tools and techniques exist for detecting nuclear proliferation in unknown locations beyond the boundaries of declared nuclear fuel cycle facilities, representing a critical gap in non-proliferation safeguards. Microbiomes, defined as "characteristic communities of microorganisms" found in specific habitats with distinct physical and chemical properties, can provide valuable information about the conditions and activities occurring in the surrounding environment. Microorganisms are known to inhabit radionuclide-contaminated sites, spent nuclear fuel storage pools, and cooling systems of water-cooled nuclear reactors, where they can cause radionuclide migration and corrosion of critical structures. Microbial transformation of radionuclides is a well-established process that has been documented in numerous field and laboratory studies. These studies helped to identify key bacterial taxa and microbially-mediated processes that directly and indirectly control the transformation, mobility, and fate of radionuclides in the environment. Expanding on this work, other studies have used microbial genomics integrated with machine learning models to successfully monitor and predict the occurrence of heavy metals, radionuclides, and other process wastes in the environment, indicating the potential role of nuclear activities in shaping microbial community structure and function. Results of this previous body of work suggest fundamental geochemical-microbial interactions occurring at nuclear fuel cycle facilities could give rise to microbiomes that are characteristic of nuclear activities. These microbiomes could provide valuable information for monitoring nuclear fuel cycle facilities, planning environmental sampling campaigns, and developing biosensor technology for the detection of undisclosed fuel cycle activities and proliferation concerns.

Following the yellowcake road: exploring the colonial roots and routes of Australian radioactive minerals, 1900s–1950s

ABSTRACT Over the past 40 years, environmental justice activists and scholars have drawn greater attention to the disproportionate environmental burdens borne by marginalised communities. This includes the consequences of ‘nuclear colonialism’, a phenomenon defined as constituting ‘a system of domination through which governments and corporations target indigenous peoples and their lands to maintain the nuclear production process’. In this article, I seek to complicate this definition of nuclear colonialism by exploring the role of uranium mining in consolidating both British and Australian settler colonial power during the first half of the twentieth century. I will do so through an examination of Australian uranium’s roots and routes as both a manifestation and facilitator of settler colonialism in Australia between 1900 and 1955. Combining sources from both British and Australian archives, this article seeks to contribute to emergent scholarship on the colonial dimensions of mineral extraction in two ways. Firstly, by explicating the role uranium played in fuelling the extractive mentalities of settler colonial Australia. And secondly, by exploring uranium extraction’s contribution to the consolidation of the British Empire’s waning power in the mid-twentieth century.

Rhetoric as resistance leadership in the ‘buen vivir’ global movement: Framing on social media collective utopias inspired by nature to challenge the status quo

Environmental activists and social movements worldwide have directed different forms of resistance toward an unsustainable and unfair model of development based on limitless growth and continuous exploitation of natural resources and people. For these processes of resistance, using the Internet has been key in creating a global discourse and consciousness of environmental activism and collective action. Drawing from the resistance leadership and the social movement literature, this paper offers an overview of the environmental movement for the global ‘Buen Vivir’ that originates in Latin America and their struggle against environmental degradation and climate change. Implementing a content analysis of the movement’s social media, this study focuses on the role of rhetoric and framing as tools for resistance. Three main findings emerged after analyzing the data: (1) Framing injustices for enhancing global environmental consciousness; (2) Framing solutions for imagining possibilities inspired by nature; and (3) Framing a rationale for unfolding collective action and building networks. This paper contributes to the resistance leadership literature, bringing new insights and further knowledge of how people can effectively resist and challenge the status quo using rhetoric and framing through social media platforms.

Pengaruh Pengetahuan Lingkungan terhadap Sikap dan Perilaku Konsumen dalam Memilih Produk Ramah Lingkungan: Studi Kasus Mahasiswa Universitas Negeri Medan

This study aims to uncover the impact of environmental knowledge on consumer attitudes and behaviors in selecting environmentally friendly products, especially among students at Universitas Negeri Medan. A quantitative analysis method was applied by collecting data through online surveys using Google Forms, involving 35 randomly selected respondents from various faculties. The analysis was conducted using the Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS) software, confirming that environmental knowledge significantly influences consumer attitudes and behaviors. These findings emphasize the importance of environmental knowledge in shaping environmentally conscious attitudes and behaviors among consumers, particularly among students. Furthermore, this research identifies consumer attitudes as a mediator in the relationship between environmental knowledge and consumer behavior. Based on these results, it is recommended to develop comprehensive environmental education programs, conduct further research on other influencing factors, collaborate with industries, develop supportive campus policies, and launch environmental awareness campaigns. These steps are expected to enhance awareness and consumer behavior regarding environmentally friendly products among students and provide directions for further research in this field.

Are the International Tribunals of Rights of Nature pluriversal?

The recognition of natural entities like rivers, forests, and mountains as subjects of rights is becoming an important trend throughout the world. It is a result of efforts by legal and environmental activists, Indigenous groups, and civil society organizations united under – among others – the Rights of Nature (RoN) movement that contest the binary separation between human and nature. The International Tribunals of Rights of Nature (ITRN) play a unique role by issuing judgments based on this perspective. But are they pluriversal in the sense that allow the coexistence of different worlds? The argument here is that they can open spaces for the pluriverse, of different worlds relationally interconnected. This does not happen without complications, for hearings and proceedings can also be interpreted as pertaining to or coopted as modern/Western (liberal) understandings of rights. Yet, saying that tribunals are hybrid would be reductionist. This paper seeks to address this drawing from pluriversal relationality, political ontology, and cosmopolitics to identify the relational nuances that reveal the pluriverse. For this it focuses on the ways participants engage in the hearings, the roles they play, and the worlds they bring with them. This paper conducts an analysis proposing alternative viewpoints that can reframe and reground IR through relational approaches.

MOVEMENT OF MOVEMENTS: RUSSIAN ACTIVISM IN EXILE AND THE POROUS POLITICAL OPPORTUNITY STRUCTURE

What happens when a social movement must relocate to continue its advocacy? Such a “movement” of movements has been going on—in a partial, fragmented way—since Russia's invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, raising a host of issues for Russian social movements. Past research has identified several broad trends in Russian civil society prior to the war: enduring, evaporating, and adapting forms of activism. These terms captured, respectively, organizational types that had persisted since the 1990s, those unable to survive, and those that adapted to Russia's increasingly repressive environment. This article examines a new trend in Russian civil society, escaping, in light of the concept of political opportunity structure. Specifically, we find that Russian feminist and environmental activists operating beyond Russia's borders experience a porous political opportunity structure that crosses state boundaries, creating new opportunities for activism as well as constraints.

박경리 후기 산문의 여성성과 정치성 - 『원주통신』 연작을 중심으로

Park Kyung-ri's collection of prose (1994), “Wonju News Agency-The Dreamer Create,” “New Wonju News Agency-The Delusion for Hypothesis” (2007), and “The Pain of Life”(2004) are articles that show the feminine foundation of the idea of life, which is the main point of Park Kyung-ri's literature. It is a self-narrative that cannot be dismissed as a simple experience and observation of daily life, and a style of the late years when the author acquired his identity as a civilization critic and environmental activist. Park Kyung-ri confessed her emptiness and pessimism through the free and loose form of prose, while discovering “Life” and “Care” as values of civilization that could overcome this sense of despair. It was an enlightenment gripped by experiential knowledge and critical dissection of the 20th century history, which was dominated by memories of pain that persisted that could not be dismissed as “centimentism,” compassion for life, and logic of power. In particular, animals need to be carefully considered in that they were decisive beings in proclaiming symbiosis and care with nature as human universal ethics by paying attention to vulnerability, the essence of life, and convinced of the value of culture, aesthetic imagination, and practical movement against human-centered development.

Environmental Campaign on the zerowaste.id Instagram Account to Educate the Community

Environmental Campaign on the zerowaste.id Instagram Account to Educate the Community

Collaboration of Actors (Government, Private, Community) in Handling Environmental Impacts from Waste Disposal by PT. Obsidian Stainless Steel

The environmental crisis is a phenomenon that occurs in various parts of the world. Environmental activists also highlight various issues related to environmental damage by campaigning for the public to understand how damaged the earth is as a result of the actions and negligence of irresponsible individuals and corporate groups. PT. Obsidian Stainless Steel, which is a leading company in Southeast Sulawesi, has recently violated the management and sustainability of natural resources. The impacts arising from waste disposed of haphazardly by PT. OSS have resulted in clean air being polluted, rice fields drying out, crop failure and worsening public health. For this reason, collaborative governance between government, citizens and other groups is needed which is expected to increase cooperation and good coordination in dealing with environmental issues, so as to create sustainable environmental conditions.

Collaborative Communication of Environmental Activists in Addressing Waste Management Issues in South Tangerang

This study analyzes the effective collaborative communication model among environmental activists addressing waste management issues in Ciputat Subdistrict, South Tangerang. Using a qualitative case study approach, data were collected through in-depth interviews, participatory observation, and document analysis, supplemented by Participatory Action Research (PAR) techniques. Social network analysis was conducted to map interactions among 42 stakeholders. Key findings reveal that actors with low Constraint and high EgoBet, such as the Head of the Environmental Office, Subdistrict Heads, and key community leaders, hold significant influence and control within the social network, facilitating communication and coordination. However, challenges include uneven group involvement, imbalanced role distribution, limited access to information, and insufficient consultation. Recommendations include increasing the engagement of less active groups, redistributing roles more equitably, enhancing transparency and information access, and strengthening expert consultation. These strategies are essential for improving collaborative communication and achieving a more integrated and sustainable waste management system.

The Influence of Environmental Consciousness, Environmental Concern, Perceived Value, Perceived Risk on Purchase Intention Through Product Trust Mediation: Study of the Recycled Product Industry in Banten Province

The waste problem requires a multidimensional approach, especially in processing and sorting at the source, in line with the Sustainable Development Goals of achieving zero waste in the future. The waste bank program has been introduced to support waste reduction and the circular economy, but public interest in recycled products remains low. Banten Province, one of the five provinces with the highest waste tonnage in Indonesia in 2022, showed interest of only 19.3%. This study aims to identify the factors influencing public purchase intention of recycled products, with product trust as a mediating variable. Through online questionnaires and data analysis using SEM PLS, involving 158 respondents in Banten Province, it was found that environmental consciousness, environmental concern, perceived value, and perceived risk significantly influence the purchase intention of recycled products. Additionally, these factors also significantly affect product trust. Mediation analysis shows that product trust can mediate the relationship between environmental consciousness and environmental concern with purchase intention, but it is not optimal in mediating the impact of perceived value and perceived risk. Recommendations for environmental activists in Banten Province include increasing the credibility and clarity of information regarding recycled products, as well as ensuring the cleanliness and safety of these products to directly enhance public purchase intention and support the circular economy in Banten Province.

The Role of Teens’ and Parental Intrinsic and Materialistic Goals in Teens’ Activities in Four Domains of Activism

The study is aimed at determining how teens’ intrinsic and materialistic goals and the importance of these goals for their parents are related to teens’ activities in four domains of activism—political activism (PA), social activism (SA), environmental activism (EA) and consumer activism (CA). A total of 459 Polish teens aged 16–18 were surveyed, and data was collected using a computer-assisted web interview technique. The results show that teens’ preference for materialistic goals negatively correlates with their activities for SA, EA and CA, while preference for intrinsic goals positively correlates with activities for EA and CA. Moreover, mothers’ materialistic goals positively correlate with teens’ activities for PA and SA, while intrinsic goals negatively correlate with teens’ activities for PA. Fathers’ materialistic goals positively correlate with teens’ activities in all four domains of activism, and intrinsic goals positively correlate with teens’ activities in all the domains except SA.

(Invited) Overview of Ion-Conducting Polymer Membranes and Membrane Separators for Water Electrolysis

Traditional liquid alkaline electrolyzer uses a porous diaphragm to allow diffusion of hydroxide ion from a feed of concentrated KOH solution while separating anode and cathode and suppressing mixing of produced H2 and O2 gases. Although liquid alkaline electrolyzer is considered as a matured technology, recent renaissance of new electrode separators suggests there is significant potential for improvement in efficiency and cost reduction by lowering area specific resistance and increasing operation current density.Ion-conducting polymers (e.g., proton or hydroxide) are used as a key component of polymer electrolyte membranes, such as acidic proton exchange membrane (PEM) and alkaline anion exchange membrane (AEM), in electrochemical energy conversion and storage technologies including water electrolyzers. For example, the state-of-the-art PEM electrolyzers have used Nafion for a PEM and ionomer catalyst binder for decades, though it is not ideal proton-conducting membrane material for those applications. Recent pressure on perfluoroalkyl substrates (PFASs) from government and environmental activist groups due to their environmental and health hazard has attracted the development of alternative polymer electrolyte membranes based on hydrocarbon polymers within electrochemical society. Compared to perfluorosulfonated Nafion, hydrocarbon ion-conducting polymers (both PEMs and AEMs) can offer advantages of flexible synthetic tunability, lower gas permeability, and importantly lower production cost.In this tutorial, an overview of recent progress in the development of advanced porous membrane separators, PEMs and AEMs, their key membrane properties, and the state-of-the-art performance in applications of water electrolyzers will be discussed. Figure 1

Mechanisms of Media Persuasion and Positive Internet Word-of-Mouth Driving Green Purchasing Behavior: Evidence from China

As environmental issues intensify, sustainability development is becoming mainstream, with environmental topics gaining increasing attention in the media and online. Shifting consumer behavior in China toward green purchasing is crucial for mitigating environmental pollution and achieving sustainable, low-carbon consumption. This study constructed a theoretical model combining media persuasion (MP) and positive internet word-of-mouth (PIM) with green purchasing behavior (GPB), based on the Stimulus–Organism–Response (SOR) and persuasion theories, to explore consumer responses to environmental information campaigns. A total of 357 valid samples were collected through an online questionnaire survey and subjected to analysis using the structural equation model (SEM). The results indicate that MP, PIM, and environmental attitude (EA) significantly influence GPB. Specifically, EA partially mediates the relationship between MP, PIM, and GPB, while environmental knowledge (EK) negatively moderates the relationship between independent variables and EA. Additionally, EK moderates the mediating effect of EA. The findings highlight that the effective implementation of MPs and PIMs can facilitate the creation of positive EA, which stimulates consumer GPB. This is essential for promoting sustainable consumption. This research contributes to sustainability by providing insights and practical suggestions for developing green marketing strategies that support environmental goals.

Explaining low salience of environmental resilience challenges in bioeconomy strategies: A cross-regional comparative analysis

Bioeconomy policies aim at fostering economic growth while solving the sustainability challenges of the fossil-based economy. However, these policies do little to discuss the resilience challenges of bioeconomies and the bio-based production systems on which they rest. Specifically, the environmental stresses that are likely to threaten the delivery of the bioeconomy's desired functions are barely addressed. This paper aims to understand why the salience of environmental resilience challenges is low in bioeconomy strategies. We conduct an exploratory comparative analysis of the policy design processes of six countries - Malaysia, South Africa, the United Kingdom, Ireland, Italy and Germany - building on expert interviews and a conceptual approach that emphasizes the importance of the policy design space. Our findings suggest that key factors in explaining the low salience of environmental resilience challenges are the predominantly economic motivation among leading authorities and the under-representation of environmental actors across policy design spaces.

The Impact of Firm Technology on Carbon Disclosure: The Critical Role of Stakeholder Pressure

AbstractThe demand for transparency about the microeconomic sources of environmental pollution has surged recently, causing carbon disclosure to rise to the top of the global climate change discourse. In this study, we empirically investigate how the environmental performance of firm production technologies shapes their voluntary carbon disclosure behaviour and how key stakeholders influence the performance‐disclosure relationship. Using a panel of 1,547 firms across 24 countries covering 2006–20, we find that firms with the most efficient technologies for reducing emissions tend to disclose their carbon impact, especially when they face more stringent environmental regulations. These high‐performing firms demonstrate a tendency for non‐disclosure when faced with intense shareholder and environmental activist pushback against pollution. Our findings also highlight the existence of a profitability penalty for transparent high‐efficiency firms relative to comparable firms that adopt strategic silence.

Pengelolaan Paving Block Dari Limbah Plastik Ramah Lingkungan

Reducing plastic waste is an urgent environmental issue and efforts are needed to educate students of SMA 1 Seram Barat about environmentally friendly waste management. This study aims to design an effective activity method to educate students of SMA 1 Seram Barat about the importance of reducing plastic waste. The proposed activity methods include counseling and presentations, group discussions, and field visits. Counseling and presentations will provide students with an initial understanding of plastic waste and its impact on the environment. Group discussions will provide an opportunity for students to share knowledge and ideas about plastic waste reduction. Field visits will provide first-hand experience about the process of processing plastic waste into Paving Blocks. The environmental awareness campaign will involve students in disseminating information about plastic waste reduction in schools and surrounding communities. Collaboration with external parties will provide broader insights into plastic waste reduction. The use of eco-friendly alternatives will encourage students to adopt lifestyle changes that reduce the use of single-use plastics. It is hoped that the implementation of this activity method will help students of SMA 1 Seram Barat to understand the importance of reducing plastic waste and have practical skills in environmentally friendly waste management. Through collaboration with external parties and involving the community, it is hoped that this plastic waste reduction effort can achieve a wider and sustainable impact.

Fire as an aesthetic resource in climate change communication: exploring the visual discourse of the California wildfires on Twitter/X

This article uses the case study of the California wildfires of 2020/2021 to examine the visual discourse on fires on social media and investigate how it was harnessed by environmental activists to shape narratives and meanings regarding climate change. The article draws on two datasets scraped from Twitter/X (350 images), i.e. the visual discourse of the California wildfires (250 images) and the visual data of environmental NGOs (100 images). Our findings show that the general visual discourse evokes the impact, risk, and devastation of wildfires. In contrast, in the second visual discourse, civil society deploys fire as an aesthetic resource to communicate danger but also makes an explicit connection between wildfires, climate change and fossil fuel reliance. Hence, our article highlights an urgent challenge in climate crisis communication: how to make an explicit causal link between wildfires and climate change through the use of visual images of fire. This challenge is exacerbated by dramatic and powerful images of fire which dominate social media, yet simultaneously undermine fire’s capacity to communicate blame and links to climate change. This tension is explored throughout the article with fire analysed as a unique site of contestation in the visual communication of climate change.