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Climate activism and its effects

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  • Dana R. Fisher
  • Sohana Nasrin

Abstract

As activism including climate strikes have become a common occurrence around the world, it is important to consider the growth in climate change‐focused activism and participation in social movements as a specific type of civic engagement. Although studies have analyzed climate activism and the climate movement, there is limited research that integrates it into the broader literature on civic engagement and which considers how these forms of engagement are related to specific climate outcomes. Here, we take a first step in understanding the material outcomes of these efforts. Specifically, we provide an overview of climate‐related activism as a form of civic engagement, paying particular attention to the targets of this activism and its environmental outcomes in terms of greenhouse gas emissions reductions. Then, we focus on one of the most common tactics to gain momentum in recent years: the school strike, which has mobilized a growing number of participants around the world. We discuss how the Coronavirus pandemic has changed the climate movement with much activism moving online. We conclude by discussing the overall state of the knowledge about the outcomes of climate activism, as well as highlighting the need for careful research to measure its effects across scale. This article is categorized under Policy and Governance > Private Governance of Climate Change The Social Status of Climate Change Knowledge > Climate Science and Social Movements

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  • Dana R. Fisher & Sohana Nasrin, 2021. "Climate activism and its effects," Wiley Interdisciplinary Reviews: Climate Change, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 12(1), January.
    • Handle: RePEc:wly:wirecc:v:12:y:2021:i:1:n:e683
    DOI: 10.1002/wcc.683
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    1. Saveria Olga Murielle Boulanger & Martina Massari, 2022. "Advocating Urban Transition: A Qualitative Review of Institutional and Grassroots Initiatives in Shaping Climate-Aware Cities," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(5), pages 1-18, February.
    2. Nawaz Ahmad & Ghulam Ghouse & Muhammad Ishaq Bhatti & Aribah Aslam, 2023. "The Impact of Social Inclusion and Financial Development on CO 2 Emissions: Panel Analysis from Developing Countries," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 15(20), pages 1-16, October.
    3. Brendon R. Barnes, 2021. "Reimagining African Women Youth Climate Activism: The Case of Vanessa Nakate," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(23), pages 1-14, November.
    4. Tan Yigitcanlar, 2021. "Greening the Artificial Intelligence for a Sustainable Planet: An Editorial Commentary," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(24), pages 1-9, December.
    5. Johannes Brehm & Henri Gruhl, 2024. "Increase in concerns about climate change following climate strikes and civil disobedience in Germany," Nature Communications, Nature, vol. 15(1), pages 1-9, December.
    6. Samuel Trachtman & Jonas Meckling, 2022. "The climate advocacy gap," Climatic Change, Springer, vol. 172(3), pages 1-7, June.
    7. Moira Zellner & Dean Massey & Anton Rozhkov & John T. Murphy, 2023. "Exploring the Barriers to and Potential for Sustainable Transitions in Urban–Rural Systems through Participatory Causal Loop Diagramming of the Food–Energy–Water Nexus," Land, MDPI, vol. 12(3), pages 1-27, February.
    8. Barros, Victor & Guedes, Maria João & Santos, Joana & Sarmento, Joaquim Miranda, 2023. "Shareholder activism and firms’ performance," Research in International Business and Finance, Elsevier, vol. 64(C).
    9. Nick Kirsop-Taylor & Duncan Russel & Anne Jensen, 2023. "A typology of the climate activist," Palgrave Communications, Palgrave Macmillan, vol. 10(1), pages 1-7, December.
    10. Beniamin Strzelecki, 2022. "Youth Engagement in the Multilateral Energy Space in 2019–2021," Development, Palgrave Macmillan;Society for International Deveopment, vol. 65(1), pages 48-53, March.
    11. Rozhkov, Anton, 2024. "Applying graph theory to find key leverage points in the transition toward urban renewable energy systems," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 361(C).

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