Confronting Climate Obstruction: The Role of Civil Society and Non-State Actors

As climate obstruction continues to expand among powerful actors and institutions, efforts to resist and confront it continue to evolve. This chapter analyzes the diverse roles and strategies of civil society (i.e., non–state actors) in countering climate obstruction around the world. Climate and environmental NGOs, activists, journalists, local communities, corporations, financial organizations, educational institutions, and researchers have worked in different ways to resist and prevent climate obstruction. The chapter proposes a framework for conceptualizing these actions, consisting of three prevalent strategies deployed by civil society and non–state actors and their respective tactics. These strategies include (1) social exposure to reveal and expand awareness of climate obstruction; (2) lobbying to advocate the prevention of climate obstruction; and (3) campaigns and protests to mobilize public concern about climate obstruction. The chapter concludes with a call for additional research to determine the effectiveness, subsequent mobilization, and impacts of efforts to resist climate obstruction.