I Trends in Environmental Activism
| Published date | 01 October 2023 |
| DOI | http://doi.org/10.1177/00208345231209549 |
| Author | Fidelis Allen |
| Date | 01 October 2023 |
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Trends in Environmental Activism
Fidelis ALLEN
University of Port Harcourt
Abstract: There has been an increase in the activities of environmental groups in recent years.
Based on the review of forty-five recent scholarly articles on environmental activism, this article
focuses on trends in the literature in terms of conceptualization, themes, and directions, as well
as it suggests agendas for future research. The article notes climate justice as a key concern for
the direction of scholarship on the subject, and covers the themes of the emergence of Green
political parties, radical environmentalism, ecological citizenship, violence and non-violence, and
social conflict.
Keywords: research trends, environmental activism, environmentalism, activism, social
movements
Introduction
Social movements seek to influence views on environmental issues and put pressure on
policymakers in a range of related areas. But alongside their specific goals, they also
often strive to create space for genuine deliberation about the need for societal
transformation (Holdo, 2019: 595).
The statement above describes the role that environmental acti vist groups generally perform in
society: They aim to influence views and policymakers on environmental problems at the same
time as they participate in the discourse of public interest issues that have implications for the
democratic transformation of society, encouraging genuine deliberations about progress in
society (Holdo, 2019). It has even been suggested in some quarters that ecological concerns are
already provoking struggles that could transform social, economic, and political systems. A
growing body of literature has been produced about environmental act ivism due to the
emergence and development of the global Green movement, yet there is a dearth of articles that
summarize the themes, direction, or future of this work. Based on a review of 45 articles written
by experts in the field, this article addresses recent trends in scholarly production on
environmental activism.
Definition of Environmental Activism
Environmental activism refers to the activities of individuals and social movements aimed at
protecting the environment (Holdo, 2019). As these actors are concerned with unresolved
environmental problems and the risks they pose, they seek to influence public views and
policymakers to resolve such problems in the overall interest of society, effecting change through
policy and shifts in government and industry behavior. Sinclair-Chapman and Targ (2019)
describe environmental activism as fusion politics. This refers to the coming together of diverse
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