Jylhä, Kirsti Forchtner, B. & M. Hultman | 2024
In N. Marschner, C. Richter, J. Patz, & A. Salheiser (Eds.), Contested climate justice – Challenged democracy: International perspectives (pp. 59-71). Campus Verlag GmbH
Earth is on a catastrophic trajectory towards severe ecological destruction, and
yet, there is little sign of halting the rise of global greenhouse gas emissions or
stopping the extraction of fossil fuels. Against this background, in this article
we re-engage with a recently proposed typology supposed to cover three modes
through which effective climate action has been obstructed. These are, first,
primary obstruction, that is, the spread of disinformation and/or denying the very
existence of anthropogenic climate change. Second, secondary obstruction concerns
more or less deliberate obstruction via opposition to climate action and policies
via, for example, reference to “the threat of deindustrialisation”. Finally, tertiary
obstruction denotes modes of living which, while not necessarily obstructing
effective climate change intentionally, concerns “living in denial”. Drawing on
recent research and examples, we revisit this typology.
This book is open access, available for download in pdf format.
