Ecological discourses are in upheaval once again. After the 2018 IPCC report made clear that the timeframe to avoid the worst scenarios is rapidly shrinking, new societal groups have taken the streets. Discerning different strategies for social transformation and their respective relations to utopian/dystopian ecological imaginaries, the paper outlines three ideal types of social movements. This framework is then used to analyse Extinction Rebellion as the best known and most revolutionary newcomer – but also the most controversial, even for many ecological activists. What are the promises and possible dangers of this new attempt to revolutionize ecological issues?
Matyáš Křížkovský is a PhD candidate in Political Theory at Charles University in Prague. Currently he is a Jan Patočka Junior Visiting Fellow at the IWM.
Response/Commentary by Adam Ramsay, Editor of openDemocracy media platform.
