Connecting Communities for Climate: The Role of Social Movements in Multi-Level Transformations

Awareness of climate breakdown has prompted people to undertake action across all levels of society. Within such societal shifts, questions arise around where socio-ecological efforts should be directed. Analogous to the oft-quoted chicken and egg situation (what comes first, chicken or egg?), some argue that grassroots, bottom-up responses should be prioritised to enable community-led initiatives for change at micro and meso levels of society whilst influencing macro-level policies and actions. Conversely, others advocate for top-down frameworks, established through law and policy by national and local governments, to foster individual behaviour change and multi-level transformations.

Recognising the need for simultaneous bottom-up and top-down approaches to climate action, premised upon inclusive, active citizen participation, this paper offers unique insights into multi-level socio-ecological action in Northern Ireland (NI). Until 2022, NI was the only part of the island of Ireland and the United Kingdom without climate legislation or appropriate climate policy, a state of affairs overcome by the intervention of Climate Coalition Northern Ireland (CCNI), a community of communities that became NI’s most effective social movement for climate action. Formed in early 2020, CCNI facilitated collective action between academics, environmental NGOs, civil society groups, politicians and legal experts, ultimately shifting the trajectory of NI’s climate legislation.

Written by the sociologist who served as CCNI’s first Chairperson (2020-22) and who continues to be an active CCNI member, this paper draws on empirical research, self-reflexivity, and policy analysis, to analyse the effects of collective action upon climate legislation and policy development in NI. It also examines how NI’s subsequent Climate Change Act (2022) and evolving policies influence socio-ecological practices to mitigate, adapt and build resilience to the climate crisis. As an example of sustainability praxis in practice, the paper offers lessons into critical reflection and collective action for socio-ecological transformation.