Newly pub­lished: HNU sci­ent­ist ana­lyses en­vir­on­mental and eco­lo­gical move­ments

Greta Thunberg and the Fridays for Future movement have succeeded in doing what other environmental activists have been trying to do for decades: Their demands for prioritizing climate protection are not only gaining social support, but are also being heard in politics. What makes this movement so special and how did it succeed in mobilizing an entire generation? Jens Boscheinen (Neu-Ulm University of Applied Sciences) and Laurens Bortfeldt (Biberach University of Applied Sciences) already investigated this question in the first nationwide study of German Fridays for Future activists.

In their recent publication "Environmental and Ecological Movements. An Overview", the scientists go one step further: they draw a comprehensive, historically framed picture of German environmental activism and, against this background, analyze the structures and motives of the Fridays for Future movement from its beginnings in Sweden to today's worldwide activist scene. Incorporating recent movement research, Boscheinen and Bortfeldt show to what extent environmental movements can be understood as social movements and to what extent Fridays for Future could and can develop social and political influence in Germany. "Environment and Ecology Movements. An Overview" has just been published in the Springer essentials series.

About the publication

Boscheinen, Jens; Bortfeldt, Laurens (2021): Environmental and ecological movements. An overview. [1st ed.] Wiesbaden, Germany: Springer Gabler (Essentials). Online unter: link.springer.com/book/10.1007/978-3-658-35908-9.

Authors

Jens Boscheinen (opens in a new window) (M. A.) works as a research assistant to the university management and in the CSR Innovation Circle project in the InnoSÜD joint project (research project "Innovative Hochschule") at Neu-Ulm University of Applied Sciences. He is doing his doctorate at the Institute for Sustainable Management at the University of Ulm.

Laurens Bortfeldt (M. Sc.) works as a research assistant at the Institute for Building and Energy Systems in the project Transfer Research Results Transdisciplinary in the Energy Transition in the joint project InnoSÜD (research project "Innovative University") at Biberach University of Applied Sciences.