Perspectives on Environmental Justice in the North; The Case of Denmark, Sweden and Japan

What is the recent development of environmental movements (EM) in the North in response to the institutionalization and globalization of environmental issues and the speeding up of climate change? How and to what extent do activists link EM issues with those of global social justice? This article will present preliminary results from a 4 four-year research project titled Environmental movements in a globalizing world: transformation and/or institutionalization? In a pioneering study of the EM in Sweden, Denmark and the Netherlands from 1990, Jamison et. al. showed how the development of the EM linked to national political traditions and to different strategies adopted by each state in dealing with social movements. 20 years later, we analyse and compare the current development of the EM in Sweden, Denmark and Japan. In all three countries, the EM face the challenge of global politics as parts of relatively strong national political consensus cultures. In Scandinavia, the EM is increasingly focusing on climate change, while parts of the traditional movement seem to be in decline. Local mobilization has given way to intensive networking and interaction on the global level via internet forums, websites and social media, a development that actualizes and articulates the idea of climate justice. The Japanese EM is comparatively weaker, but since Fukushima, the issue of nuclear power is giving rise to new movements and to heated debates regarding its pros and cons in fighting climate change. While the nuclear accident has pushed the climate issue to the background, it has also stimulated interest in energy and public debate regarding democracy and the fair distribution of risks in relation to energy.