Neoliberalism, political action on climate change and the youth of Aotearoa New Zealand: a space for radical activism

Abstract

<p>Climate change exists both as a symptom and as a cause of many social ills. It is as urgent as it is complex. Climate change is being addressed internationally through mechanisms heavily influenced by neoliberal globalisation and based around market mechanisms for the trading of carbon dioxide as a commodity, such as the Kyoto Protocol. This has contributed to increasing de-politicisation of the climate change issue. Contestation of neoliberal solutions to climate change has resulted in the birth of climate justice principles which unite action against the systemic causes of climate change. At the heart of action on climate change are young people- historically active citizens and advocates for radical change. In the context of de-politicisation and a post-political carbon consensus, young activists have been influenced by dominant neoliberal discourse. This research will explore the repercussions of a post-political carbon consensus in producing youth-led spaces of contestation in Aotearoa New Zealand. The case study for this research, youth-driven organisation Generation Zero, advocates for post-political carbon consensus by running campaigns on changes to the national Emissions Trading Scheme and other policy-based work. In this thesis, I will describe the extent to which young people within Generation Zero are influenced by the neoliberal discourse and the implications this has for the role of climate justice and radical activism. This research will contribute to the literature around the de-politicisation of climate change as it describes the impact that this has on youth activism and thus the opportunity for future spaces of dissent.</p>

Decolonizing in a transnational feminist commons perched precariously between the academy and movements for justice.

“…Consider the research-teaching space in which Adreanne collaborates with young Indigenous Ma ¯ori and peers in other nations of the world, as they call out the failure of politicians, teachers, parents, and corporations to create a future in which they, the young, can flourish (Bandura & Cherry, 2020;Moon, 2013;Thunberg, 2019). Young people take to social media platforms (Panaligan, 2019;Wielk & Standlee, 2021) within both liberatory and troubling exchanges, challenge the absence of commitment from the political and economic hubs of the globe, and sound the alarm against climate change (Batabyal, 2014;United Nations Development Programme, 2019) and global warming (Barrett, 2006).…”

Movement from the margins to global recognition: climate change activism by young people and in particular indigenous youth

“…Whilst there has been ongoing international recognition of the science that demonstrates the imminent threat of climate change, attempts to address this at national and international levels have focussed on neoliberal marketoriented models that have so far been ineffective in delivering the drastic remedies required (Moon, 2013;Suša, 2019). Climate justice paradigms have emerged to address this failure and young activists have been prominent leaders of such movements, despite limited pedagogical input into such modes of citizenship in many educational contexts.…”