Youth Climate Change Activism

In Greta Thunberg et al’s Why We Strike Again, Thunberg argues “With public opinion shifting, world leaders, too, say that they have heard us. They say that they agree with our demand for urgent action to tackle the climate crisis. But they do nothing.” The largest point to come from Thunberg’s article is that our governments and corporations have known about climate change and their impact upon it for years. They know how detrimental their practices are to the environment, yet their desire for economic prosperity outweighs their concern for the well being of our environment. She continues “Schoolchildren, young people, and adults all over the world will stand together, demanding that our leaders take action — not because we want them to, but because the science demands it.” Our world leaders need to understand the urgency of the situation and step up to make a change to combat the climate crisis. It is safe to say that Thunberg utilizes disruptive dissent in the creation of her argument. By challenging social norms to change policies, she opposes and disrupts the status quo. O’Brien states “Disruptive dissent can be considered a type of activism that arises when young citizens concerned about climate change question and seek to modify or change existing political and economic structures, which include norms, rules, regulations, and institutions.” O’Brien argues that the disruptive dissent typology requires that young people challenge our social norms and point to world leaders to make a change. Thunberg could not fit this profile better. She and her group of young activists are actively seeking to challenge our world leaders and norms to combat climate change, and by utilizing disruptive dissent they are on their way to making a difference.

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