Klimaschutz als Privileg?

Young people see themselves confronted with a restriction of their development and life possibilities due to the climate crisis. This explorative study illustrates how both the perception of the climate crisis, the attribution of responsibility, the perceived effectiveness of action and the relevant socialization experiences are structured in a milieu-specific way.

Informed by the Schools4Future project, four guided interviews were conducted with students on their perception and interpretation of the climate crisis. In the three-step coding process of Grounded Theory, patterns of concern, attribution of responsibility and action strategies of four adolescent climate activists from academic and precari- ous backgrounds could be reconstructed. While the socially advantaged youth perceive themselves as affected and suffering from the misbehavior of previous generations, the socially disadvantaged youth see the climate crisis as a systemic failure among others. The activism presented in the media emanates from the upscale milieu and combines with consumption as a distinctive practice of climate-friendly action. In the precarious milieu, other forms of silent, concrete, and intrinsically motivated engagement are evident, as is (school) engagement as an investment in individual, social advancement. Consistently, academic youth see themselves as advantaged in dealing with the climate crisis, but neglect what young people from the precarious milieu clearly diagnose: The ecological footprint of their consumption is disproportionately higher than that of disadvantaged youth.

Amelie Straßen:

Klimaschutz als Privileg?
Milieuspezifische Handlungsbefähigung von Schüler*innen in Bezug auf den Klimawandel

Wuppertal 2023, ISBN 978-3-946356-32-5

(Wuppertaler Studienarbeiten zur nachhaltigen Entwicklung no. 29)