The Role of Grassroots Environmental Activism within the New Wave of the Climate Movement (2018-2020)

Abstract

Since late 2018, a new wave of the climate movement all around the world represents a new stage in environmental activism thanks in part to the participation of local actors who can be regrouped under the umbrella of experiences associated with local environmental grassroots activism. The aim of this article is to highlight the role of urban grassroots environmental activism within this new wave of the climate movement. In this article we will present three elements that characterize this type of activism and that we consider determinants in the development of strategies in response to the climate crisis: first, the presence of attachments to the local and global levels; second, the prioritization of altruistic and biospheric values that are reflected in the pro-environmental practices; and third, the prefigurative character of these practices. The proposal is based on a comparison of the results of the international project Protest for a Future: Composition, Mobilization and Motives of the Participants in Fridays For Future Climate Protests (2018-2020), with the findings of different studies focused on urban environmental grassroots activism.