Millennials are becoming Climate Change Activists
Is climate change activism making progress? Learn about the impacts Gen Z is making.
What is climate change activism?
Climate change activism, or environmental activism, is the actions of an individual or group that rallies for the protection or aid of the environment.
For individuals who identify with the earth and are affected by climate change, climate activism is a way to gain attention to what they are rallying against.
These activists commonly identify issues that threaten the planet's sustainability and overall health and its decline's impact on specific populations. From small community issues to general global awareness, these activists work to promote awareness or produce solutions to resolve the issue.
Environmental activism can be seen in local grassroots organizations, nationwide campaigns, or disruptive activities such as stopping deforestation or oil drilling. The overall goal is the same in the wide variety of how environmental activism can be performed. Help the earth, create a stable living environment, and decrease degradation and devastation so that the planet can provide beneficial living conditions for the next generation.
Gen Z's involvement with activism
Millennials and adults in Generation Z have stood out in the Pew Research Center survey due to their high levels of engagement with climate change issues. Compared to the older generations, these millennials are talking more about taking action on climate change online. They are also actively participating and involving themselves with climate change issues through volunteering and protests.
Political engagement, such as voting, is more popular among past generations. It was found that 32% of Gen Zers and 28% of Millennials have taken active actions to combat climate change. Examples of these actions are outreach to officials, volunteering, protesting, and donating to fund environmental campaigns. This is compared to Gen X (23%), Baby Boomers, and other adults (21%).
The Pew survey found that when questions about active engagement with online climate change content, Gen Z was the most likely to openly express anxieties about the state of the planet, now and in the future. The survey also found that an astonishing amount of Gen Zers, seven in ten, actually experienced more anxiety when consuming content that addresses climate change. Overall, content that touched upon issues or the impacts of climate change left most audiences anxiety-ridden (59%) of Millennial social media, half of Gen X & Baby Boomers (46%).
Is there progress being made?
As more youth groups begin to take action on climate issues, a growing inspiration is enacting others to follow suit. Social media influencers, eco-activists, and sustainable fashion bloggers, such as Aditi Mayer and Greta Thunderberg, are taking the stage as role models who do not succumb to eco-anxiety but use their platforms to shine a light on it. The ultimate goal for these activists is to prioritize the environment over anything else.
Forbes highlighted that 40% of millennials and Gen Zs were found to have a positive outlook on people's willingness to commit to actions to address climate issues, specifically after the pandemic. What actions are these specifically? Actions such as recycling more, increasing the use of public transportation, eating clean, and refusing "fast fashion" purchases were included in the willing actions.
The desire for sustainable products
A 2020 report by First Insight found that 73% of Gen Z consumers are willing to spend more on sustainable products. This was comparatively more than every other generation. This willingness to go the extra mile financially reflects their awareness of the impacts of consumer purchases on the planet. Even more shocking is that the youngest surveyed group, which were mostly students, were willing to spend the most. 54% percent of this younger group stated that they were willing to spend up to 10% of a price increase for sustainably made or sourced products.
Their buying decisions are directly related to the business's impact on the environment. The focus on purchasing power has been the most influential action consumers can take to reduce the support to companies not actively pursuing sustainable business models and ethically sourced materials. Holding companies to a higher standard can be seen reflected in de-influencing trends across social media, which actively promote the idea that consumers should not fall victim to the promotions of products and fast fashion.
How to join the climate activist movement?
Brands may be adapting to consumers' desires for sustainable products, yet companies are still falsely promoting themselves as eco-friendly. It is important to identify greenwashing as a consumer to ensure that their false claims are not misleading you.
Join our eco-activist subscription list, where we expose greenwashing, bring eco-news to light, and keep you up to date with campaigns you can take part in to enact change.
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Key Takeaways
Climate change activism, or environmental activism, is the actions of an individual or group that rallies for the protection or aid of the environment.
These activists commonly identify issues that threaten the planet's sustainability and overall health and its decline's impact on specific populations.
The overall goal is the same in the wide variety of how environmental activism can be performed. Help the earth, create a stable living environment, and decrease degradation and devastation so that the planet can provide beneficial living conditions for the next generation.
The Pew survey found that when questions about active engagement with online climate change content, Gen Z was the most likely to openly express anxieties about the state of the planet, now and in the future.
Forbes highlighted that 40% of millennials and Gen Zs were found to have a positive outlook on people's willingness to commit to actions to address climate issues, specifically after the pandemic.
What actions are these specifically? Actions such as recycling more, increasing the use of public transportation, eating clean, and refusing "fast fashion" purchases were included in the willing actions.
