The Collapse Of Climate Activism

Activists Realized People Weren't Going To Change, So They Moved On

For the first two decades of the 21st Century, the “climate” was a cause that seemed everywhere. From “reduce, reuse, recycle” to “carbon footprint” to “biodegradable” to “global warming,” the cause of fighting climate change became one of the most prominent political and social movements in our culture in the 2000s and 2010s. Entire political parties were formed dedicated to the cause; former Vice President Al Gore won an Oscar for a documentary about it, and major corporations took pride in changing how they operated to combat it, rolling their efforts into effective public relations messaging. People invested in metal water bottles to reduce the usage of single-use plastic bottles; styrofoam takeaway containers were replaced by “economically-friendly” packaging. Bamboo became a popular substitute for lumber; veganism gained popularity.

Then, in this decade, it all seemed to disappear from the culture as quickly as Game of Thrones did after its much-derided 2019 finale.

The question has come up several times on social media. Greta Thunberg, who became globally known for advocating for climate change, has barely talked about the issue in recent years, instead focusing all her attention on the War in Gaza. Many “green” initiatives were overturned or dropped off the radar. The problem persists, and from every account, it is getting even worse. Fires, droughts, and stronger hurricanes have all made news in recent years, and yet the climate barely registers as an issue anymore.

Why are fewer and fewer people dedicating themselves to the cause?