Robyn Gulliver

This monograph presents an empirical analysis of the Australian climate change movement to determine the extent to which activists are incorporating civil resistance into their tactical repertoire, what these actions look like, and what goals they are achieving.Using three movement frameworks as a theoretical foundation, it provides an overview of the broader environmental movement before considering the types of groups engaging in civil resistance against climate change, the range of actions they undertake, and the targets they seek to influence. It then examines two campaigns directed at corporate targets-the Stop Adani anti-coal mining campaign, and the Divestment campaign-as case studies before considering the extent to which civil resistance in Australia is prompting repressive responses from the state.This study offers key lessons for a range of individuals and groups, from climate activists and civil society organizations to academics and others interested in supporting nonviolent action against climate change. In doing so, it addresses major gaps in our understanding of the effectiveness of civil resistance against climate change and the potential this resistance holds to prompt urgent action.

This Element reviews the social psychology of effective collective action, highlighting the importance of considering activists' goals, timeframes, and psychological perspectives in seeking to conceptualise this construct. A novel framework 'ABIASCA' maps effectiveness in relation to activists' goals for mobilisation and change (Awareness raising; Building sympathy; turning sympathy into Intentions; turning intentions into Actions; Sustaining groups over time; Coalition-building; and Avoiding opponents' counter-mobilisation). We also review the DIME model of Disidentification, Innovation, Moralization and Energization, which examines the effects of failure in creating trajectories of activists' disidentification from collective action; innovation (including to radicalisation or deradicalisation); and increased moral conviction and energy. The social psychological drivers of effective collective action for four audiences are examined in detail, in four sections: for the self and supporters, bystanders, opponents, and for third parties. We conclude by highlighting an agenda for future research, and drawing out key messages for scholars.

From boardrooms to blockade camps, from the lush East Gippsland forests to the golden Ningaloo Reef, the fight against environmental destruction takes place in many spaces. The Advocates tells the inside story of nine extraordinary women within the Australian environmental movement and the behind-the-scenes efforts that have helped power advocacy across Australia. Over the past fifty years these advocates have held corporations to account, cleaned up toxic waste in their own backyards, and returned biodiversity to our forests. They are not always on the frontlines of the fight or the front pages of the news, but their relentless commitment to making change is both moving and inspiring. In often unseen and unacknowledged ways these women have educated, agitated and pioneered new approaches to the many crises in the Australian environment. Told through richly detailed interviews, these stories get to the heart of why these women have dedicated their lives to environmental causes and the different ways they have persevered. The Advocates shines a light on nine women's tireless commitment to change, and what it means to be an Australian environmental advocate. These stories will inspire the next generation to find a place in that vital fight.