How the climate movement needs to broaden itself to gain momentum

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The newly started coalition platform for climate activists in Skåne, “Klimataktivister i Malmö med omnejd” invites you to a lecture by Mine Islar, associate professor in sustainability at Lund University.

Despite the fact that nearly every country in the world signed the Paris Agreement in 2015, we are looking at the grim prospect of combating and adapting to climate change and crises. Only two governments in the world are taking the necessary measures to ensure that we stay at 1,5°C, or even below 2°C, temperature increase compared to preindustrial levels.

At the end of 2020 it was also clear that Sweden managed to reach only 1 of its 16 environmental goals, as set in 1999.

Research done by Erica Chenoweth and Maria J. Stephen showed that if a movement manages to gather 3,5 % of the local population to actively participate in a peaceful protest they have, at least historically, a 100 % chance at reaching their goals. At the 2019 global climate strike, on the 27th of September, we were about 1.500 people taking to the streets in Malmö. We demanded simply that the municipality would align their politics with the Paris Agreement. To reach the 3,5 % threshold we would need 12.000 of municipality citizens with us.

How can we get there?

As we all know, time is running out and we need all the help we can get to ensure a safer present and future. Therefore we have asked Mine Islar for her help in the matter. The question is: HOW THE CLIMATE MOVEMENT NEED TO BROADEN ITSELF THROUGH INCLUSION AND ALLIANCES TO GAIN MOMENTUM?

The purpose of the lecture is to gain insight on how the climate activist movement can action social inclusion in order to be representative of the global movement and thus broaden its focus to make alliances with groups fighting for social justice. The issues associated with the detrimental climate change impact are closely linked to the challenges faced in society at large. As joined forces, the social justice and climate activist movements can raise awareness and together push for structural change.

About Mine Islar: Mine is a researcher and senior lecturer at LUCSUS (Lund University Center for Sustainability Studies). Her focus is on questions of politics of transformative change for a sustainable future as well as the political agency of change.

Access to the event: The lecture is online only and a zoom-link is provided here. The event will include a 45 minute lecture by Mine Islar and end with questions from the participants.

The moderators will be our group members Malin Stenborg Lundgren and Arvid Gudmundsson.

Interesting links:

The article on climate activist movement and social inclusivity (in Swedish):https://landetsfria.nu/…/klimatrorelsen-maste-erkanna…/

Further research by Mine Islar: https://portal.research.lu.se/…/mine-islar(edbb2e69…

The summary of Naturvårdsverket’s evaluation of the Swedish environmental goals (in swedish): http://www.naturvardsverket.se/…/978-91-620-8841-5.pdf…

Research by Maria J. Stephan and Erica Chenoweth:“Why Civil Resistance Works: The Strategic Logic of Nonviolent Conflict” (2011). New York: Columbia University Press.