From Apocalypse to Empowerment: Reframing Climate Action

Paul F. Steinberg

Global Environmental Politics, 2024, vol. 24, issue 4, 105-128

Abstract: This article proposes empowerment as a new frame for analyzing, communicating, and practicing climate action. I first discuss the role of collective action frames in social movements and the limitations of the predominant apocalyptic climate narratives. I then elaborate the concept of empowerment, which has received little attention from political scientists, who have emphasized "power-over" rather than "power-to." Empowerment has long been a focus of attention within critical social work, feminist theory, community psychology, and social movement theory. Drawing on these literatures and others, I identify three dimensions of empowerment—critical awareness, resources and opportunities, and autonomy—and consider practical steps that climate leaders can take to empower others to simultaneously pursue personal development and social transformation.

Keywords: Empowerment; Social Movements; Political Participation; Climate Change (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2024
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