What explains global patterns of climate activism? A macro-level, cross-national analysis of collective environmental action

Abstract

Activism in response to climate and ecological breakdown is a defining feature of 21st-century societies. Yet, the factors underpinning its global variation remain insufficiently understood. We address this research puzzle through a cross-national analysis of collective environmental action events between 2018 and 2022: a pivotal moment in climate mobilisation. Drawing on an original dataset of 25,626 events across 148 countries, our findings suggest that collective environmental action is associated with market-oriented economies, income inequality, democratic regimes, stronger anti-system movements and location in the Global North. In the North and in democracies, we find a movement-amplification configuration, with collective environmental action most prevalent in wealthier, liberal polities with anti-system movements. In the South and under authoritarian rule, a frontline communities configuration prevails: collective environmental action is linked to higher inequality and a larger private role in the economy. Our findings point to the unequal political and socio- economic conditions underpinning environmental mobilisation.