Media release: Greta’s arrest shows the youth climate movement is getting radical

Last week’s arrest of Greta Thunberg is just the latest example of how young climate activists are
embracing more radical, confrontational strategies – a finding echoed in new research published by
the Green Economy Coalition and Climate Vanguard.

The report, based on a snapshot of young activists worldwide, shows that the youth climate
movement is both more diverse and more confrontational than portrayed in the media. It paints a
picture of a movement that is less convinced by government’s ability to act and is embracing more
radical campaigns.

From school strikes to system change

Of 292 youth climate groups identified across every continent except Antarctica, well over half
identified “a system that puts profit over people and planet” as the root cause of climate and
ecological breakdown; 89% of this group specified the system as capitalism and (neo-)colonialism.

Young people around the world are moving on from asking their governments for piecemeal reform.
Instead, they’re increasingly demanding structural, systemic change - dismantling or radically
reshaping capitalism itself.

And, far from being the preserve of privileged, largely white middle-class young people in the Global
North, the research finds that Sub-Saharan Africa is the most active continent for climate protest –
a stark contrast to how youth climate action is portrayed in the media.

Why the climate radicalisation of young people matters

Climate Vanguard, a new research and action group set up by young climate activists, has teamed up
with the Green Economy Coalition to map, engage and understand the global youth climate
movement. The resulting report, Mapping the Global Youth Climate Movement: Towards a Green
Economic Mandate, draws its findings from a first-of-its-kind database of nearly 300 youth climate
groups around the world, a detailed respondent survey of 50 leading young activist groups, and
interviews with 19 activists.

The database, survey and interviews that underpin the report find a growing trend amongst young
protestors towards a radical, systemic understanding of climate action. A new wing is emerging, very
different to the early Fridays for Future-style activism which based its campaigns largely around
awareness raising, calls to “listen to the science” and appeals to governments to up their ambition.

Instead, young climate activists are calling for fundamental overhauls of our political and economic
structures that drive the climate crisis. This trend suggests an increase in the demands and in the
campaign tactics and increasing conflict with governments as young climate radicals come of age.

“Media coverage of youth activist has focused on tactics that seek to work within the current
political and economic system - school strikes, peaceful protests outside parliaments, raising
awareness and confronting the choices of political leaders,” said Noah Herford of Climate Vanguard,
one of the authors of the paper. “However a quarter of groups want to replace the current
economic system entirely, and this growing cohort of young people will not be satisfied by mere
piecemeal reformist approaches to tackling climate change.”
“The media often fixates on a handful of individual activists, depicting them as a representation of
the entire movement. This homogenises the movement, highlights the media’s bias for reformist
rather than revolutionary voices, and obscures diversity within the youth climate movement,” said
Jack Johnson of Climate Vanguard, another co-author.

The paper also has important implications for how media, governments and NGOs engage with,
understand and support the youth climate movement. “We can see evidence of increasingly
sophisticated change strategies and convergence around colonialism and capitalism as the root
causes of climate change,” said Jean McLean, Director of Engagement for the Green Economy
Coalition.

“The bonds between citizen and state are fraying, and this is especially true for young people who
increasingly see their needs ignored by their own governments. By supporting youth groups we can
accelerate the reforging of a new social contract towards more green, just and inclusive economies.”

ENDS

Interviews and follow-up

The youth researchers and some of the youth activists who have been pushing for change in their
countries are available to interview. We also have the report including results from the mapping
exercise and survey available including breakdowns of groups by continent, cohort, longevity of
group, and position on the reformist-to-radical spectrum.

Full report: https://www.greeneconomycoalition.org/news-and-resources/mapping-the-global-

youth-climate-movement
For more information please contact Jean McLean, Green Economy Coalition
jean.mclean@greeneconomycoalition.org , +44 777 927 5943

The Green Economy Coalition is the largest global movement for green and fair economies.
https://www.greeneconomycoalition.org/

Climate Vanguard is a youth-led think tank developing radical transformations to stop Earth breakdown and
build a just, habitable world.
https://www.climatevanguard.org/