Repression over responsibility: sanctioning of environmental activism

Conservation offers evidence-based insights into the state of ecosystems and biodiversity, while activism amplifies conservation goals through public and political engagement. Despite the importance of this relationship, a troubling pattern has emerged: environmental activism is increasingly met wit...

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Main Authors: Emiline Smith, Angus Nurse
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: IOP Publishing 2025-01-01
Series:Environmental Research Letters
Subjects:
Online Access:https://doi.org/10.1088/1748-9326/adef6b
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author Emiline Smith
Angus Nurse
author_facet Emiline Smith
Angus Nurse
author_sort Emiline Smith
collection DOAJ
description Conservation offers evidence-based insights into the state of ecosystems and biodiversity, while activism amplifies conservation goals through public and political engagement. Despite the importance of this relationship, a troubling pattern has emerged: environmental activism is increasingly met with disproportionate criminalization and punitive responses by many governments worldwide. Such repression not only threatens individual activists but also undermines the broader conservation movement by discouraging public participation and stifling dissent, ultimately jeopardizing our collective ability to address the planet’s most pressing challenges. This short perspective examines the growing trend of targeting environmental activists and discusses the potential consequences this may have for conservationists and anyone else concerned about the profound, immediate threats of climate change and environmental exploitation.
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spelling doaj-art-6cedf36cb4a54bbea31ae6e7857e64a92025-08-20T03:55:48ZengIOP PublishingEnvironmental Research Letters1748-93262025-01-0120808100310.1088/1748-9326/adef6bRepression over responsibility: sanctioning of environmental activismEmiline Smith0https://orcid.org/0000-0003-1813-267XAngus Nurse1https://orcid.org/0000-0003-2486-4973University of Glasgow , Glasgow, United KingdomAnglia Ruskin University , Cambridge, United KingdomConservation offers evidence-based insights into the state of ecosystems and biodiversity, while activism amplifies conservation goals through public and political engagement. Despite the importance of this relationship, a troubling pattern has emerged: environmental activism is increasingly met with disproportionate criminalization and punitive responses by many governments worldwide. Such repression not only threatens individual activists but also undermines the broader conservation movement by discouraging public participation and stifling dissent, ultimately jeopardizing our collective ability to address the planet’s most pressing challenges. This short perspective examines the growing trend of targeting environmental activists and discusses the potential consequences this may have for conservationists and anyone else concerned about the profound, immediate threats of climate change and environmental exploitation.https://doi.org/10.1088/1748-9326/adef6badvocacyenvironmental activismenvironmental protestgovernancepolitical engagement
spellingShingle Emiline Smith
Angus Nurse
Repression over responsibility: sanctioning of environmental activism
Environmental Research Letters
advocacy
environmental activism
environmental protest
governance
political engagement
title Repression over responsibility: sanctioning of environmental activism
title_full Repression over responsibility: sanctioning of environmental activism
title_fullStr Repression over responsibility: sanctioning of environmental activism
title_full_unstemmed Repression over responsibility: sanctioning of environmental activism
title_short Repression over responsibility: sanctioning of environmental activism
title_sort repression over responsibility sanctioning of environmental activism
topic advocacy
environmental activism
environmental protest
governance
political engagement
url https://doi.org/10.1088/1748-9326/adef6b
work_keys_str_mv AT emilinesmith repressionoverresponsibilitysanctioningofenvironmentalactivism
AT angusnurse repressionoverresponsibilitysanctioningofenvironmentalactivism