Impacts of Climate Activism

A New Study looks at the Impacts of Climate Activism

A new study from the Yale Program on Climate Change Communication looks at 50 research articles on the impact of climate activism.[1] The authors report strong evidence for climate activism having impacts on public opinion and media coverage. There is some support for influence on voting and policy. Other effects are also considered. The article is published in the Current Opinion in Behavioral Sciences journal.[1] Here, I present a few of the findings in the study, followed by my own thoughts.

Climate protests attract public attention and increase awareness of the protest and protesters. In general, public opinion is shifted in a pro-climate direction, but this is partially audience-dependent. In the United States, where climate change has become a polarizing issue, protests may be viewed through a partisan lens. Peaceful marches led to increased positive sentiment among Independents and Democrats, but had no effect among Republicans. At least in this study, no backlash against climate policy was observed.[2]

The impact of climate activism on the media is important, because the media reaches a wide audience and can shape how a protest is perceived. Who is doing the reporting can affect the coverage. In United Kingdom news, conservative outlets published more articles critical of climate activism than liberal news providers. The style of activism can affect how protests are reported. Legal actions were covered more favorably than illegal ones, and unlike in other studies, they also attracted more press coverage.[3] Another study of online articles from major German newspapers found that the more disruptive group Last Generation was portrayed more negatively, as more violent and as more polarizing, but also received more coverage, compared to reporting on legal protests by Fridays For Future. Many articles focused on the protest and did not discuss the issue of climate change.[4]

Climate protests may have impacts on voting and policy. In Germany, exposure to Fridays For Future protests led to an increase in votes for the Green Party, and repeat exposure to protests increased the effect. The Insulate Britain campaign was a series of nonviolent disruptive protests on United Kingdom motorways. This led to increased attention paid to home insulation by the media and Parliament, and although protesters initially thought they had failed, the ‘Great British Insulation scheme’ followed a year later. The researchers found that the Insulate Britain campaign plausibly played a role in passage of the policy and estimated the policy-related emissions reductions.[5]

Some activism seeks to pressure the fossil fuel industry financially. It is noted that divestment movements do little financial damage to target companies, but a divestment campaign can be a way to shift public opinion. Stock market valuations of environmentally friendly companies or carbon intensive companies might bob up and down with public sentiment, but sustained protest targeting a specific company is necessary for long-term effect.

There may not be a clear or direct path from activism to policy change or environmental quality. The authors provide a map to visualize the many interconnections. Media coverage is weakly linked to public opinion and hypothesized to affect policy maker attention and policy change. Public opinion is a hypothetical driver of voting behavior, policy change, and behavior change. There is a potential feedback loop from climate activism to impact on public opinion to mobilization and increased climate activism.

The authors note several limitations to these studies. One is that connections between climate activism and effects are hard to trace. Most of the impacts reported are at intermediate steps, as seen in the mapping. Another caveat is that it is difficult to separate the impact of activism from other influences. Even if protests lead to altered voting behavior, for example, the candidate must still get elected, climate policy must pass, and the policy must be effectively implemented, before a desired change might be realized. If the goal is to decrease carbon emissions, the path from climate activism to outcome is quite tenuous. Also, a relationship between activism and a result is not proof that one caused the other.

Most of the included studies focus on the Western, Educated, Industrialized, Rich, and Democratic (WEIRD) world, a recognized bias in research literature. Therefore, these findings may not be applicable to climate activism in places with different political governance or press freedoms. The authors comment on methodological issues and offer suggestions for future study, including comparing the effectiveness of different climate tactics for different audiences and looking at long-term effects.

My thoughts after reading the article

Readers of this newsletter will know that Fridays For Future started in August 2018 and grew into a global youth-led movement. There has been progress – rising awareness of the climate crisis, expanding solar and wind renewable energy, international conferences and multiple pledges – but far, far from enough. If what we’re doing is not working, it’s appropriate to ask whether climate activism is effective and what it can accomplish. To answer this requires exploring what is activism and what are its goals.

To me, the goal is to mitigate and adapt to climate change. This does not mean that all impacts must be reported in carbon emissions reductions. Many factors influence outcomes and attributing a result to activism can be difficult. There are often too many variables to have confidence in such numerical estimates.

Activists and activism are about convincing people to take action. It is said that 3.5% of the population must be really engaged for change to happen. This figure comes from a sample of historical movements and is not a guarantee. The size of the protest or the number of marchers is not the only goalpost. Other elements such as momentum, organization, leadership, and persistence may be as important as large-scale participation in driving progress.[6] 

As movements continue, there can be a shift to the confrontational. The so-called “activist’s dilemma” is that unconventional and disruptive actions tend to receive more media attention than peaceful rallies and marches that are not seen as newsworthy.[7] More extreme actions range from blockades to stop ecologic destruction, hunger strikes, or damaging property. Having a “radical flank” can shift the  “Overton window” of what is considered acceptable and make moderate choices more palatable.[8] However, there is a risk that actions may alienate people and actions that disrupt daily life are unpopular. We are seeing a backlash against green programs and counter-mobilization against climate activism. There are efforts to criminalize climate protest, and, in some lands, violence and murder against land and environmental defenders has been reported.[9]

Activism can take many forms. As mentioned, some activism puts finance in the crosshairs, such as divestment campaigns or taking aim at banks that back fossil fuels. Climate litigation is on the uptick but can be frustrating because of the slow pace of the legal system, choppy forward and back suits and countersuits, and well-funded opposition.

Climate activism is evolving. Although little reported in western media, activism is happening around the globe, and gaining new voices such as Indigenous peoples. Collaboration among groups can expand reach and impact, as when local and national environmental organizations worked together to successfully block the building of a coal mine in Cumbria.[10] Activist groups may find shared causes, such as climate justice and peace. Partnering with labor unions or churches or other communities can help to make a movement appear more mainstream, less on the fringe. 

While international and national guidance is ideal, change can also start locally in communities; top-down and ground-up efforts can reinforce each other. Activists may find narrower, more specific targets more achievable. The outcome will be easier to understand and, even if negative, can set the stage for more activism. Activists are learning better how to contact and connect with lawmakers, public utility commissions, and decision makers. We are honing our skills for talking to people in a way that connects with their daily lives, one of the most important things we can do.

Climate activism itself has value for the activist. Protesters may see themselves as belonging to a wider, shared identity. Taking action, especially with others, may help to ease feelings of anxiety and helplessness. There is satisfaction in doing the right thing, and power in collective action. As the Fridays For Future website says, “Striking together brings us hope, and it really does lead to direct change.”[11] Your action can give hope to others and motivate them to take action. 

I appreciate this article for thoughtfully reviewing climate activism and its impacts. It also pushed me to think about activism and why we do it. The evidence supports positive impacts on public opinion and media coverage, no small thing in this age of disinformation. Not everyone needs to march, but we can each do something, and collectively make a difference. Awareness of the climate crisis is higher than people think, but it is still a conundrum how to turn this concern into action.

REFERENCES

[1] The impacts of climate activism. Thomas-Walters L, Scheuch EG, Ong A, Goldberg MH. Current Opinion in Behavioral Sciences, Jun 2025, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cobeha.2025.101498

Citations from the article:

[2] Does climate protest work? Partisanship, protest, and sentiment pools. Bugden D. May 2020, https://doi.org/10.1177/2378023120925949

[3] The power of protest in the media: examining portrayals of climate activism in UK news. Scheuch EG, Ortiz M, Shreedhar G, Thomas-Walters L. Feb 2024, https://doi.org/10.1057/s41599-024-02688-0

[4] Media coverage of climate activist groups in Germany. Dablander F, Wimmer S, Haslbeck J. Dec 2024 preprint, https://osf.io/preprints/psyarxiv/yhn54_v1

[5] What was the impact of the Insulate Britain Campaign? Roger C, Ostarek M, Jones M, Özden J. March 2024, https://2ed91cf7-c25d-453e-a3d5-a90f73ccb6ab.usrfiles.com/ugd/2ed91c_4112e779eaf240ebb3f119082f423b40.pdf

Other references:

[6] Questions, answers, and some cautionary updates regarding the 3.5% rule. Chenoweth E. Apr 2020, https://www.hks.harvard.edu/centers/carr/publications/questions-answers-and-some-cautionary-updates-regarding-35-rule

[7] How effective are climate protests at swaying policy – and what could make a difference? Fisher DR, Berglund O, Davis CJ. Nov 2023, https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-023-03721-z

[8] Radical flanks of social movements can increase support for moderate factions. Simpson B, Willer R,

Feinberg M. Jul 2022, https://doi.org/10.1093/pnasnexus/pgac110

[9] Why are environmental protesters being criminalized? S Braun. May 2025, https://www.dw.com/en/why-are-environmental-protesters-being-criminalized/a-72447290

[10] Confining coal to history. Bosworth T. Apr 2025, https://www.fridaysforfuturenewsletter.org/post/confining-coal-to-history

[11] Fridays For Future website, accessed 11 June 2025, https://fridaysforfuture.org/take-action/reasons-to-strike/