Contextualizing climate justice activism: Knowledge, emotions, motivations, and actions among climate strikers in six cities. (November 2020)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Martiskainen, Mari; Axon, Stephen; Sovacool, Benjamin K.; Sareen, Siddharth; Furszyfer Del Rio, Dylan; Axon, Kayleigh
• Is Part Of: Global environmental change. Volume 65(2020)
• Publication Date: 2020-11
• Subjects: Fridays for Future -- Climate protests -- Climate strikes -- Social activism -- Greta Thunberg -- Social movements; Environmental policy -- Periodicals; Human ecology -- Periodicals; Nature -- Effect of human beings on -- Periodicals; Environment -- Periodicals; Environnement -- Politique gouvernementale -- Périodiques; Écologie humaine -- Périodiques; Homme -- Influence sur la nature -- Périodiques; Environmental policy; Human ecology; Nature -- Effect of human beings on; Periodicals; Electronic journals; 333.7
• DOI: 10.1016/j.gloenvcha.2020.102180
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 0959-3780

Abstract

Highlights: Empirical research with 64 climate strikers in six cities in four different countries. Examines knowledge, emotions, motivations, and actions of climate strikers. Large variation in climate strikers regards to knowledge, emotions, motivations and actions. Strikes provide opportunism also for other social and political action. Values underpinning climate action range from individual to planetary concerns. Abstract: In August 2018, Swedish teenager Greta Thunberg started to strike from school on Fridays to protest against a lack of action on the climate crisis. Her actions sparked a historically large youth movement, leading to a series of school strikes across the world. Over the course of one week in September 2019, striking school children, students and other grassroots movements, such as Extinction Rebellion, called for everyone to participate in a global Climate Strike. This paper is based on comparative research with climate protesters in six cities: Brighton and London (United Kingdom), Montreal (Canada), New Haven and New York (USA), and Stavanger (Norway). Based on original interviews with 64 protesters, the study examines their knowledge, emotions, motivations, and actions in relation to climate change, including any lifestyle changes they have undertaken before or after their protests. Our findings show that protesters have varying degrees of knowledge about climate change, and have taken a range of actions in their own lives to address climate change. They also manifest a wide spectrum of emotions about climate change, and different motivations for taking part in climate strikes. These features are under-studied and dynamically evolving at the present conjuncture. On this basis, we call for expanded academic attention to human, emotional, epistemic, and seemingly mundane aspects of climate protests, their structural tendencies and relational expressions, and the implications for our ability to address underlying drivers.