The evolution of the climate movement: from radicalism to complacency

It is worrying to note that a large part of the environmental militancy seems to be more focused on maintaining the few privileges it possesses

Bilbo Bassaterra

In 2018, the publication of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change's (IPCC) Special Report on Global Warming of 1.5°C marked a turning point in the climate movement. This report warned of the catastrophic consequences of global warming and urged the international community to take radical action. This call to action triggered an unprecedented wave of mobilisation, giving rise to a new generation of movements that not only put the climate crisis at the centre of the institutional and social debate but also intertwined it with other struggles such as labour, decolonial, feminist and anti-speciesist.

Over time, however, the initial enthusiasm for these movements has waned. What began as a radical challenge to the hegemonic powers has been transformed into a series of initiatives more oriented towards complacency and group therapy. In many cases, organisations seem content to engage in protests that are more akin to marketing campaigns aimed at recruiting new activists than a real challenge to the status quo.

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