Understanding and accelerating collective climate action

Why this matters

The report opens on a stark diagnosis. Interlocking crises are deepening – seven of nine planetary boundaries have been crossed, authoritarianism is rising, and a backlash against climate policy is gathering pace – while activists and climate justice defenders face growing repression and criminalisation. In this context, the contributors argue, the movement’s existing approaches are under real strain, and honest reflection on what is and isn’t working has become urgent.

What the report finds

Distilling a week of structured discussion, the report identifies several weaknesses in parts of the climate movement in the Global North: a lack of internationalism and cross-border solidarity; too little investment in political strategy and ideological clarity, so that external events spark internal conflict; and an over-reliance on public-facing disruption pursued for media attention rather than economic or political leverage. Disruption, it concludes, is insufficient on its own – it needs a clear theory of change, high-leverage targets such as fossil infrastructure and financiers, and a credible path to escalation or resolution.

Ways forward

The contributors set out a broad agenda for renewal. Chief among it is broadening the struggle – linking climate to everyday material concerns like housing, food, transport and labour to build a genuine mass base, and centring the people most affected. They call for stronger international and South–South solidarity; deeper alliances built on trust between activists, communities and researchers; and a “movement ecology” in which diverse groups pursue different strategies without needing a single shared theory of change. They also urge movements to anticipate and counter their opponents’ strategies, to integrate anti-fascism, and to invest in political education, democratic organising and long-term collective capacity rather than one-off mobilisations.