The recent article from the JustFutures project, titled “Climate Activist Groups’ Discourses on Science and Knowledge: Merging Rhetorical Strategies with Political Visions”, was published in the Environmental Communication journal on April 21, 2025. This study examines the discursive uses of science by three Portuguese youth-led climate groups — School Strike for Climate Portugal, Climáximo, and LIDERA. The study found that they have invoked science in three distinctive communicative moves: constructing science into a strategic ally; turning climate science into a political and ethical referee; and debating and pluralizing science. The authors argue that while climate groups can bolster mainstream science, some also foster critical perspectives and try to push science away from the dominant symbolic territory of “universalism” and “neutrality”.
Below, you can find the post-print version of this work, also available through this link.