The year is 2019. Tens of millions across the globe pour into the streets, demanding governments halt new fossil fuel infrastructure and pass policy that puts humanity on a path toward a relatively climate-safe world of 1.5 degrees Celsius worth of warming by 2100, as recommended by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC). There are varying degrees of success in this mass mobilization effort, which is primarily led by young people. Overall, public consciousness on climate change is raised, many governments pass legislation, and momentum is on the side of climate justice.
But suddenly, the protest movement for climate justice grinds to a halt. A global pandemic pauses in-person gatherings. Climate activists more closely focus on electoral means toward achieving some version of a Green New Deal, most notably with Joe Biden in the United States and his Build Back Better agenda. And what was once a rallying cry for progressives and the general public slowly loses salience among everyday people due to concerns around affordability, inflation, and rising authoritarianism. The climate movement is left at a standstill.
This initial wave of youth climate activism deserves a lot of credit for bringing climate change to mainstream political priorities. Without them, there would likely be no Inflation Reduction Act or the European Green Deal, which would put us in a worse situation despite these laws’ major flaws. But the youth climate movement is not blameless.
Often the movement tried to appeal to those in power through morality and “listening to the science.” While climate targets must be in line with science-based projections, and people are most motivated by climate action due to concern for future generations, the appeal to power based on morality and science showed its limitations in this wave of youth climate activism. And political achievements have fallen short. Despite the Inflation Reduction Act being the “biggest climate policy in world…
Auteur: Andrew Ahern
