Category: Publicações EN

The article entitled “Engaging young people with alternative climate futures: cultivating political imagination through participatory methodologies” was published in the journal Environmental Education Research on 13 December 2025. This critical review analyses published research that explores how participatory methodologies can encourage young people to reflect on their political imaginaries in relation to climate change and on their role as agents of change. The article seeks to reinforce the need to explore the inherently political nature of climate change as a central point of critique and experimentation in social research.

Below, you can find the post-print version of this work, also available through this link.

The latest chapter of the JustFutures project, entitled “Youth activism and the call for generational responsibility in climate politics”, was published in the “Routledge Handbook of Climate Crisis Communication” in May 2025.

The chapter provides an overview of literature examining how  youth-led climate action may have expanded the boundaries of discourse within climate  politics. Our analysis underscores one of the most relevant contributions of youth  activism: the moral imperative of generational responsibility, which has catalysed the  politicization of the present moment. Continuously excluded from political processes,  youth demand broader societal participation to formulate solutions and alternatives,  indirectly proposing ways to reconfiguring climate politics as more democratic and  pluralistic.

The chapter is currently under closed access and available only via institutional access.

Carla Malafaia and Maria Fernandes-Jesus published the chapter “Communication in Youth Climate Activism: Addressing Research Pitfalls and Centring Young People’s Voices,” in December 2024. The chapter appeared in the recently released book “Environmental Communication”, published by De Gruyter Mouton (“Handbooks of Communication Science” series).

Anabela Carvalho, the coordinator of the JustFutures project, co-edited the book together with Tarla Rai Peterson (University of Texas El Paso). This book is intended for scholars, students and professionals in communication, environmental policy, environmental sociology, and environmental studies.

Below, you can find one of the chapters.

The latest article published by the JustFutures project is entitled “Intersectionality in youth climate activism as educational practice: political, pragmatic, and pedagogical dimensions”, and was published in the journal Frontiers in Education on January 1, 2025.  This work is part of Task 5 of the project (understanding on-the-ground experiences of collective action) and investigates the value of intersectionality practices developed by the School Strike for Climate in two Portuguese cities. The study reinforces the potential of intersectionality in political socialization and collective learning, challenging hegemonic educational practices.

Below, you can find the final version of this work. You can also access it via this link.

We are delighted to announce that the article titled “Reporting on Young Climate Activism: How Journalistic Multimodal Choices on Television Can Delegitimise Disruptive Dissent” was published in Journalism Practice on November 27, 2024. This article builds on previous work analysing Portuguese television news and the representation of young climate activists. It focuses on an in-depth report broadcasted following the school occupations demanding an end to fossil fuels in November 2022. The analysis highlights how media coverage frames youth-led disruptive actions and contributes to the ongoing discussion around such movements. The article critically examines the editorial decisions made by media professionals and their implications for journalism practices in addressing pressing social debates.

Below, you can find the post-print version of this work. You can also access it through this link.