Between collapse, class struggle and anti-fascism: The state and future of the climate movement
Lecture by Michael Grebenjak as part of the lecture series Lectures For Future, hosted by Art and Image | Drawing.
Just a few years ago, the climate movement was mobilizing masses of people — Fridays for Future and Last Generation made headlines for years. But recently, the most mobilizing social movement of the past decade has fallen noticeably silent. Why is that? Where does the movement stand today, what new currents are emerging, and what might the future of the climate movement look like? These are the questions this lecture seeks to explore.
The discussion is based on the book Kipppunkte (2024), edited by Manuel Grebenjak, as well as on new observations and insights building upon it. Currently, various currents within and emerging from the climate movement are developing or gaining strength. Some activists are now focusing on local projects, often in collaboration with trade unions and other actors, increasingly emphasizing class politics in their work. Others are concentrating on what they call “solidarity collapse politics,” based on the assumption that climate collapse can no longer be prevented. Finally, another segment of the movement is increasingly engaging in anti-fascist practices, responding to the rise of authoritarian tendencies.