Literature Review

Amidst escalating global environmental crises, understanding the psychological factors

The decay of rivers coupled with its escalated pollution is a concern worldwide. The present study intends to assess the agony of the riverine people due to the contamination of the Churni River and the transformation of their grievance into environmental activism at individual and community levels for rejuvenating the river and for a secured livelihood. The study observed an enriched concentration of biological oxygen demand, nitrate, and phosphate and a reduced concentration of dissolved oxygen during 2011–2020 due to the release of untreated industrial wastewater, sewage from urban areas, and agricultural runoff into the river. A systematic investigation reveals pollution-induced socio-psychological trauma and community awareness leading to the active involvement of the people in the environmental awareness movement, which was mediated by self-efficacy, self-responsibility, self-identity, and community value. A parallel multiple mediator model was employed, which included 29 parameters for exploring the key-mediated factors for the environmental movement. The model-based results identified that self-responsibility and community-value for upper stretch villages and self-efficacy and community-value for the lower stretch villages are significant mediators of environmental activism. A canonical component analysis predicted socio-demographic factors (e.g. age, dependency ratio female-male ratio, etc.) as intrinsically linked to environmental activism. This study is significant because it reveals how pollution and river degradation affect riverine people. It also clarifies how local grievances turned into environmental activism as a result of the documented socio-psychological trauma and growing community awareness. This study would thus play a pivotal role in understanding the human-nature complex to better planning and river restoration.

This paper analyzes a case of environmental activism after one of the largest oil spills in Peruvian Amazonia, the 2014 Cuninico oil spill. A relatively more independent judiciary, environmental legislation, and weak though autonomous regulatory agencies led to a shift in institutional opportunity structure over the previous 20 years. The embryonic environmental state produced evidence of environmental harm and sanctioned state-owned oil enterprise Petroperú. However, that was not enough to produce timely measures to protect the affected communities. Indigenous peoples affected by the spill worked with human rights lawyers and civil society coalitions to bring the company to court. Almost a decade of high court activism has meant a burdensome process of ‘lawfare’ with important legal triumphs for plaintiffs. In 2020, a historic ruling mandated financial compensation for affected communities. Despite these triumphs, the long wait for the restitution of justice hints at an uncertain future.

This article examines the interplay between local activism and external and elite actors in response to ReconAfrica's oil and gas exploration activities in Namibia's Kavango and Botswana's Okavango Delta regions. The research demonstrates local communities’ challenges with confronting environmental degradation, unfulfilled promises, and legal transgressions while striving to protect their ancestral lands and rights. The study, grounded in Southern green criminology, highlights the power imbalances between Northern corporations and Southern territories, underscoring the exploitation and marginalisation of Indigenous Peoples and local communities. It advocates for genuine collaboration and prioritising local perspectives in environmental activism, calling for a shift in power dynamics to ensure equitable and sustainable outcomes. This cooperative model integrates local knowledge systems, amplifies Indigenous voices, and aligns environmental campaigns with broader social justice concerns. The traditional externally driven approaches are challenged, while ethical and inclusive environmental activism is also promoted.

This study examines how eco-conscious citizens in urban China negotiate and practice citizenship in the everyday in response to the environmental and climate crises. Drawing on 45 in-depth interviews with participants in a ‘zero waste’ community and virtual observation, I explore how individuals articulate duties and rights, and act to claim their roles as green citizens. I argue that the changing socio-political conditions in China give rise to a particular type of green citizenship that is active, dutiful, pragmatic, and at the same time, gendered and classed. Motivated by a strong sense of duty toward nature and future generations, green citizens set realistic goals, commit to practicing sustainable consumption and building green families and communities. This form of citizenship, however, does not seek the expansion of rights and the enlargement of space for activism. This study offers fresh insights into research on citizenship, sustainable consumption and environmental activism in China.

Climate activists have pursued a wide range of disobedient protest tactics in response to the threat of global climate change and to what they see as the failure of world governments to ade- quately address the problem. Consider, for instance:

This study extends the historical record of faith/spirituality-inspired social activism, an under-explored area of advocacy, by examining such campaigning for environmental and animal rights and the worldview and model of public relations that guide such efforts. A combination of qualitative methods was used to obtain data on public relations as conceptualized and practiced including a textual analysis of historical material and institutional media. Throughout history faith/spirituality has inspired Indigenous peoples, governments, and individuals to advocate for environmental and animal rights, playing a central role in the formation and practice of a worldview, caritas, embracing an approach to relationship-building – covenantal stewardship – that guides behavior in a pro-social manner toward an inclusive set of “publics” – humans living, unborn, and ancestral, animals, and the natural world as well as alternative views of public relations. Moreover, individuals of faith/spirituality have created NGOs to institutionalize such activism. The influence of faith/spirituality upon environmental and animal rights activism points toward a re-thinking of the nature of public relations and its “publics” given emerging sensitivities to the principles of inclusion necessary for the harmonious functioning of society and requires a new definition, worldview, and model of practice.

Climate change is a reality that can no longer be ignored, so much so that combating climate change and its impact is one of the main goals of the UN Agenda 2030. Youths, albeit the main victims of climate change, are often excluded from decision-making processes on sustainable actions. More and more young people are joining collective pro-environmental movements, raising their voices against the current inadequate sustainable policies and claiming to be the main actors of change. However, pro-environmental collective actions are often judged negatively by public opinion, diminishing their effectiveness and potentially impacting youth participation. In light of this, it is critical to understand the individual, contextual and relational aspects that lead young people to engage with these movements. The present study aimed to systematically review the existing literature on factors that might promote youth participation in pro-environmental movements. According to the PRISMA guidelines, we conducted a literature search of three databases (PsycINFO, ProQuest, and SCOPUS). Moreover, we deepened our research by focusing on two relevant theoretical models on collective actions, the Social Identity Model of Collective Action and the Social Identity Model of Pro-Environmental Action. After the screening and the eligibility phases, 11 articles (12 studies) were included. Most of the selected studies adopted a cross-sectional quantitative design. The results revealed individual and relational factors involved in promoting youths’ involvement in pro-environmental movements. To the aim of deepening young people’s pro-environmental activism, findings highlighted the need to consider personal and social drivers together. Limitations of the study, future directions, and practical implications are discussed.

This Article delves into the intersection of art and environmental activism, with a focus on the impact of climate change. Cortada, both an artist and trained attorney, re-counts his three-decade journey leveraging art to inspire community engagement and address social and environmental challenges. He explains how Antarctic researchers made him aware of South Florida's vulnerability to sea level rise, leading to the development of interactive art projects that foster civic engagement and climate advocacy. The Article also addresses the challenges posed by climate denial and misinformation, emphasizing the need for creative strategies to combat these issues. Cortada introduces specific participatory art initiatives he has crafted to visualize South Florida’s vulnerability to rising seas and to ignite dialogue and action on climate change. He details a range of projects, including The Underwater, Underwater HOA, Elevation Drive, Underwater Vote, and HELLO, which all effectively employ art to render climate change a personal and pressing matter for communities. This law review Article is an innovation in and of itself, serving simultaneously as an exhibition of “Underwater Florida,” a performative artwork Cortada created in 2022 to document the fraught state of coastal cities along the Florida peninsula. It showcases images of yard signs that the artist placed in front of 54 Florida city halls to mark their respective elevations, thereby recording this moment in the state's history and sharing information with its residents to encourage policymakers to prepare for a future with rising seas. In mapping elevations along Florida's coastline to underscore the threat of sea level rise, Cortada acts as a sentinel, witness, neighbor, informant, educator, science communicator, and advocate, and as a figurative bridge between the potential victims of tomorrow and today's contributors to climate harm. The inclusion of “Underwater Florida” in the law review Article exemplifies the innovative format, which transcends traditional academic boundaries to captivate its audience. This symbiotic relationship between art and academic discourse is a testament to their combined strength in conveying urgent messages about climate action. Cortada's efforts extend to transforming public spaces into platforms for climate storytelling and fostering interdisciplinary engagement in regional governments, demonstrating art's potency in stimulating public discourse and prompting action on climate change. The Article concludes by reinforcing the essential role of art in fostering a culture of care and activism, crucial for preserving our planet and its inhabitants in the face of a climate crisis.

Romanian environmental activists have been subjected to violent attacks for protecting their forests from illegal logging. This article traces the drivers of this conflict, revealing complex relationships between corrupted institutions, economic dependence, and cultural beliefs entrenched in Romania’s religion and recent history. Examining the drivers of environmental conflict in new democracies and new EU members – like Romania – may help reveal weaknesses and opportunities in EU structures in the context of nature conservation and environmental protection.

Few writers have chronicled the age of climate crisis as closely as Bill McKibben over the past 35 years, and even fewer have done so while also kickstarting multiple environmental groups and advocacy campaigns for climate action. He has kept the pulse of the crisis, and the movement to address it, since first covering the climate debate—as it was then—for the New York Review of Books in 1988.

This study investigates the role of marginalized women of the Jogi and Bagri communities in environmental activism. Amid environmental challenges, this study tries to comprehend the contributions and effects of marginalized women belonging to the Jogi and Bagri communities that are frequently overlooked in dominant environmental discourses in Sindh. The study tries to understand the narratives and opinions of marginalized women from the Jogi and Bagri communities by comprehending environmental action through qualitative research methodologies that include in-depth interviews, focus group discussions, and participant observation. This research venture is an interdisciplinary work. The work focuses on political science, environmental sociology, and community development fields of studies. The study aims to highlight the issue of environmental injustices and relevant aspects that inspire underprivileged women of backward communities to engage in environmental activism. The findings of this research venture provide a comprehensive analysis of contemporary information regarding the environmental activism led by women of the downtrodden class in the district of Khairpur, Sindh. The paper concludes that women from marginalized communities, such as the Jogi and Bagri communities in district Khairpur, Sindh, are involved in the promotion of sustainable and just environmental policies.