5th ISA Forum of Sociology (6-11 July 2025)

Recent changes in climate activism reflect shifts in demographics, levels of radicalism, strategies, alliances, political interactions, and intersectional discourses (O’Brien et al., 2018). However, understandings of climate struggles often center on the global North, with less attention paid to movements in other regions, including the peripheries of Europe, Africa, Asia or Latin America. These areas face heightened tensions between development, extractivism and environmental concerns.

Literature on social movements in the global South points to the diverse manifestations of mobilizations (Beinin & Vairel, 2013; Fadaee, 2017). Decolonial studies highlight the limitations of universalizing Western concepts such as environmental or climate justice, and urge attention to local contexts and knowledge production (Álvarez & Coolsaet, 2020).

This session aims to explore the dynamic landscape of climate activism beyond the global North, with a focus on local, national and transnational strategies and tactics. Researchers are invited to share insights on how climate movements are challenging the climate crisis, developing alternatives, and navigating economic contexts in less developed regions of the world and in increasingly authoritarian political environments. At the same time, the session will provide a space for the discussion of new theoretical insights arising from the study of climate activism beyond the global North.