Is Youth Climate Change Activism Actually Effective?
“Who is she, and what is she doing at the UN Climate Action Summit?”, was the question millions of people around the world had when they were first introduced to Greta Thunberg back in 2019. Greta Thunberg, a millennial youth climate change activist from Sweden, came into prominence around 2018 with her lone strikes initially dubbed “School Strike for Climate” (Pigott). She and her friends sat in front of the Swedish parliament every schoolday for three weeks and protested against the lack of action on the climate crisis. Their protest soon snowballed into the world-renowned movement, Fridays For Future, which has organized climate strikes globally in more than 7,500 cities with more than 14 million people participating (Fridays For Future). Many young climate activists, like Thunberg, garnered widespread media attention and some were even given the opportunity to speak at global conferences around the world. They received mixed reactions from the global community, however, as some hailed them up for their braveness and for acting as beacons against climate change, while others taunted them for only being “kids” and not understanding “how the real world works”. As a result, the question of climate change and how, if any, youth climate change activism could help address the issue became a hot debate topic. Although on a short-term and direct action standard of change, youth climate change activism may have its flaws, when analyzed from a pragmatic and long-term perspective, it is a pillar of the climate change movement.
Firstly, youth climate change activism is an extremely effective tool for creating widespread awareness amongst the youth and general public through the means they employ—it is effective, even if it may not always result in policy solutions or “tangible” action against climate change. Youth climate change activists, thanks to their young age, mostly uncontaminated view of the world, and also due to not being a part of the system(s) of power they decry, are able to boldly voice their demands and proposals regarding climate change. What youth climate change activism demands and is doing to achieve them can be summed up by a really simple notion: rejecting long-told fairy tales. As climate change activists insist on a better future where CO2 emissions are low (amongst many others) through the protest they hold, strikes they go on to and statements they make, they are actually rejecting preconceived notions held by older generations. Described by Thunberg, youth climate activists demonstrate a total rejection of the status quo upheld by current political and social institutions and their belief in a “fairy tale of eternal economic growth” (ID4D). Additionally, the rejection of these “fairy tales” entails supporting scientific facts and discoveries made by scientists that have been echoed over thirty years, but have often fallen on deaf ears. In climate change protests, some activists held signs that read “I can’t believe I’m marching for facts” (ID4D), alluding to the absurdity of how the establishment (of aforementioned power structures and interest groups) acts in spite of said scientific findings and outcries. In doing so, youth climate change activists strengthen their stance against climate change and are able to persuade the masses about how and why climate change is an urgent issue—whilst also indirectly influencing people to take micro-actions of their own such as the 3R principle of reusing, reducing and recycling in addition to fulfilling the important duty of raising awareness.
Moreover, youth climate activists, by creating awareness through previously outlined methods, help sow the seeds for long-term progress through an “imagination revolution.” Rebecca Solnit, a writer, historian, and activist who has twenty books on feminism, western and indigenous history, popular power, social change, and insurrection (Solnit) argues in her book Hope in the Dark that “the revolution that counts is the one that takes place in the imagination; many kinds of change issue forth thereafter” (Solnit; Pigott). Combining this notion with the concept of youth climate change activism, it is possible to conclude that the “revolution of the imagination” has indeed started to take place by looking at previous examples in society. In her article on youth climate change activism, Pigott argues that regardless of the outcome of international climate summits and quotas established towards lowering CO2 emissions or instituting pro-climate policies, the minds of the youth have indeed acknowledged the “spirit of revolution” which she describes can be “contagious” (Pigott). She goes on to argue that even in cases where political actors have not taken desired actions, one shouldn’t assume that “the world has not been changed, or that it won’t” (Pigott). Famous environmental scientist Donella Meadows takes the idea a step forward in her work titled Leverage Points: places to intervene in a system and puts forward the idea that, actually, the most powerful place to intervene (i.e. cause change) is through “the mindset of the culture which the system of question arises from” (Meadows; Pigott). Arguably radically, Pigott, in her article on Meadows’ essay, puts forward the notion that “the least effective place to intervene is tinkering with numbers, standards, quotas and so on” (Meadows; Pigott). In saying so, Pigott argues that even if focusing on the tangible and easily identifiable elements of tackling climate change is easy to do and appealing, we would be overlooking the significance of shifting ideas, mindsets, and values which have been brought about by youth climate change activism (Pigott). On the contrary, Pigott does concede that there are flaws with the arguments she puts forwards regarding an arguably superficial assessment of climate change mitigation by saying:
These changes are hard to track or count, and indeed, many assumptions about how change happens – particularly when it comes to tackling climate change – are tethered to examples of mitigation that can be easily measured. In such a linear world, it is hard to imagine how the kinds of rapid, large-scale changes that are needed will ever happen. (Pigott)
Regardless of the current state of affairs and our view of climate change activism, we must consider the possibility of our views on climate change mitigation actually being flawed, alluding to the possibility of an imagination revolution actually being a lot more fruitful when addressing the issue of climate change.
Furthermore, youth climate change activism serves as a catalyst in our modern society that has the necessary capabilities and facilities in its hand (to address climate change) by putting positive and peaceful pressure on decision-makers. Doruk Dolapçıoğlu, a climate activist studying in Kabataş Erkek High School in İstanbul who attended and organized climate strikes on various occasions, delivered speeches at conferences and gave interviews, made really enlightening remarks on how youth climate change activism actually benefits society. Dolapçıoğlu postulated that as a society, we do indeed have the means of effectively combating climate change, both technologically and socially. Nonetheless, to push forward decision-makers and those in power, activism is a necessary means “to awaken political willingness by demanding, protesting, and seeking the rights of living—in a healthy way” (Dolapçıoğlu). Dolapçıoğlu also added that even in cases where those aforementioned fail to take action, through youth activism, they have at least been pushed to acknowledge the severity of the issue—which was not even the case a few decades ago, where leaders went even as far as to deny the existence of an ongoing climate crisis (Dolapçıoğlu).
Lastly, youth climate change activists have made their goals of bringing conventional climate action to fruition in many instances—disproving the often touted notion that youth climate change activists are unable to bring about tangible change supported by analytical results. Although Greta Thunberg is generally hailed as the epitome of youth climate change activism and serves as their de facto leader, there are many lesser-known youth climate change activists who have been successful in either persuading their local and national governments into taking action or have established communities in which climate action is an upheld value. Aditya Mukarji of India, for example, started a campaign back in 2018 where he went out to restaurants and cafes persuading them to stop using plastic straws for ecological alternatives. He currently campaigns against trees being cut down and actively promotes alternatives for single-use plastics (“Climate”). In 2 years, Mukarji managed to convince nearly 200 establishments to become environmentally conscious and to prevent the use of around 26 million plastic objects (Adhikari). Similarly, Ella and Caitlin McEwan of the United Kingdom are 2 sisters who created a petition where they collected over 400,00 signatures to stop fast food restaurants from putting plastic toys in children’s meals. Their activism made huge corporations enact changes in their policies where McDonald’s signaled they will offer their customers an alternative of a toy and a fruit whereas Burger King said they will “remove plastic toys altogether” (“Climate”). From a different part of the world, Yurshell Rodriguez of the Colombian island of Old Province was a part of many whose houses were severely damaged and even destroyed in Hurricane Iota that struck the island back in 2020, harming critical infrastructure and housing in the island. In 2018, Rodriguez was a part of youth climate change activists who successfully managed to sue their own government due to their incompetence regarding the deforestation of the Amazon Rainforest, once again proving that youth climate activism does indeed result in tangible change (Casey). Dolapçıoğlu, who was previously mentioned, also commented on how youth climate change activists have caused a positive and concrete change. Dolapçıoğlu said:
…Turkey ratifying [the] Paris Agreement and announcing its carbon zero goal are big steps. Or [the] Istanbul Municipality publishing a report, explaining its climate pathway in detail is also a huge enhancement and these are the indicators of the effectiveness of the pressure exerted by the youth climate activism on governments and leaders. (Dolapçıoğlu)
With Dolapçıoğlu’s remarks, it can easily be hypothesized that the pressure youth climate activists bring on local and national governments can indeed force conventional change, once again disproving the notion that youth climate change activists are a bunch of incognizant youth.
In conclusion, it is not hard to discern that youth climate change activism is a tool that, when effectively utilized, can bring about both tangible, long-term, positive, and effective change in addressing climate change. In considering arguments put forward against youth climate change activism, one must look out cynically but with good intentions (as so must one do when assessing arguments put forward supporting the notion) as those who echo them tend to be intertwined with some conflicts of interest. Additionally, one must also reflect inwards, on a personal level, to understand the true message of activism for or against a cause—taking into account the goals of the individual who comes delivering the message. For the issue of climate change, we often are affected by the fallacy that “The masses aren’t acting, so why must I?” which can be an easy way out of a hard moral conundrum, but one must genuinely reason on a personal level as to whether or not they approach the topic from a point of reason or a point of convenience. There has never been a single instance in human history where a movement succeeded without the active belief and contribution of at least a group of people—albeit small or large. Ergo, we must, as people, take the issue of climate change at heart and actively contribute to mitigating it with actions no matter the scale—proving that we are fit to be functioning members of a collective society.
Works Cited
Adhikari, Somak. “17-Year-Old Boy from Gurugram Is on a Mission to Reduce Single-Use Plastic Consumption.” IndiaTimes, 10 Nov. 2021, www.indiatimes.com/news/india/boy-from-gurugram-aditya-mukarji-on-mission-to-reduce-single-use-plastic-consumption-553821.html.
Casey, Ruairi. “Young Climate Activists and the Battle to Avert Catastrophe.” Climate Crisis News | Al Jazeera, Al Jazeera, 3 Nov. 2021, www.aljazeera.com/features/2021/11/3/youth-climate-activists-speak-of-battle-to-avert-climate-crisis.
“Climate Change: 7 Young Climate Activists from around the World - CBBC Newsround.” BBC News, BBC, www.bbc.co.uk/newsround/49676291.
Dolapçıoğlu, Doruk. Personal interview. 7 April 2022.
Fridays For Future. “Strike Statistics: Countries.” Fridays For Future, 28 Apr. 2020, fridaysforfuture.org/what-we-do/strike-statistics/list-of-countries/.
ID4D. “Is Youth Climate Activism Creating the Necessary Change?” Is Youth Activism Creating Change?, 17 June 2021, ideas4development.org/en/is-youth-activism-creating-change/.
Meadows, Donella. “Leverage Points: Places to Intervene in a System.” The Academy for Systems Change, 5 Apr. 2012, donellameadows.org/archives/leverage-points-places-to-intervene-in-a-system/.
Pigott, Anna. “Young Climate Activists Have Far More Power than They Realise.” The Conversation, 13 Feb. 2022, theconversation.com/young-climate-activists-have-far-more-power-than-they-realise-170537.
Solnit, Rebecca. Hope in the Dark: Untold Histories, Wild Possibilities. Haymarket Books, 2016.
Solnit, Rebecca. Rebecca Solnit, rebeccasolnit.net/.
