Published article: “Young people’s conceptions of political agency in relation to climate change”

The most recent article from the JustFutures project, titled Young people’s conceptions of political agency in relation to climate change”, was published in Environmental Politics on April 15, 2025. This article examines how young people in Portugal understand and engage with political agency in the context of climate change. Through focus groups with 154 participants (aged 13 to 35), four main conceptions of political agency emerged: transformational collective agency, proto-political collective action, individualised action, and disempowered action. The authors suggest that young people’s political agency regarding climate change is shaped by both motivating and inhibiting factors, a desire for political influence and perceived power to bring about transformative change.

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

Published article: “Prefigurative Politics and Cultures of Care in the Portuguese Youth Climate Strike Movement during School Occupations”

The recent article from the JustFutures project, titled Prefigurative Politics and Cultures of Care in the Portuguese Youth Climate Strike Movement during School Occupations”, was published in the PARTECIPAZIONE E CONFLITTO on March 15, 2025. This study explores everyday practices and cultures of conviviality to understand how young activists sustain themselves during intense protest periods. The research was developed through an ethnographic study of school and university occupations in Lisbon by School Strike for Climate Portugal. The study sheds light on how cultures of care and prefigurative politics (practicing the future they want) shape the movement and foster hopeful futures.

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

Published article: “Relationships Between Activist Groups and Political Parties Shaping the Portuguese Climate Movement: Dynamics of Resistance and Collaboration”

The most recent article from the JustFutures project, titled Relationships Between Activist Groups and Political Parties Shaping the Portuguese Climate Movement: Dynamics of Resistance and Collaboration”, was published in the social sciences on March 31, 2025. This study analyzes the interactions of young climate activists with political parties and how they shape the dynamics of the Student Climate Strike. The research was developed through an ethnographic strategy in two cities in the country. The study contributes to a deeper understanding of the group´s challenges over time and the ways in which activist movements negotiate political affiliations and internal cohesion.

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

Published article: “Imagined Climate Futures and Collective Action: An Analysis of Affect in Dystopias and Utopias by Young Climate Activists”

The most recent article from the JustFutures project, titled Imagined Climate Futures and Collective Action: An Analysis of Affect in Dystopias and Utopias by Young Climate Activists, was published in the Journal of Community and Applied Social Psychology on March 4, 2025. This study is part of the analysis of focus group discussions and examines the affective qualities of the utopias and dystopias developed by young climate activists in various cities across Portugal. The work challenges the literature that assumes hope as the only emotional disposition for engagement in climate activism, exploring the value of negative imagined futures as catalysts for action and change.

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

Published chapter “Communication in youth climate activism: Addressing research pitfalls and centring young people’s voices” in the book “Environmental Communication”

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.

Published article “Intersectionality in youth climate activism as educational practice: political, pragmatic, and pedagogical dimensions”

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.

Published article: “Reporting on Young Climate Activism: How Journalistic Multimodal Choices on Television Can Delegitimise Disruptive Dissent”

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.

Published article “Political Imaginaries in the Climate Movement: Youth-Led Groups Constructing Plural Views of the Future”

The scientific article “Political Imaginaries in the Climate Movement: Youth-Led Groups Constructing Plural Views of the Future” was published on November 6, 2024, in the journal Sociological Research Online. Developed as part of Task 2 of the JustFutures project (analysis of young people’s narratives on climate change), the article presents an analysis of the political imaginaries of four climate activist groups in Portugal – Climáximo, Greve Climática Estudantil Portugal, Ambiental-IST and LIDERA a Década do Clima – through a Critical Discourse Analysis (CDA) of texts published on their websites and social media. The analysis shows the plurality of political imaginaries of youth-led climate groups and their commitment to exploring alternative ways of governing climate change.

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

Published article “Prioritising communities: barriers to climate activism and political imagination among minoritised youth groups”

The scientific article “Prioritising communities: barriers to climate activism and political imagination among minoritised youth groups” was published on November 4, 2024, in the journal Journal of Youth Studies. Developed as part of Task 4 of the JustFutures project (eliciting imaginaries of climate and the future), the article presents an analysis of how minoritized young people (with a migrant background and/or underserved communities in Portugal) conceive their involvement with climate change issues, the barriers that constrain their engagement with climate activism and the challenges in the political imagination of the future. The findings suggest that minoritized youth would like to have a voice in political debates about climate change and that more inclusive dialogues about climate futures could help bridge existing territorial and social divides.

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

Publication in the Proceedings of the 5th Sustainable Campus Conference: “Climate Movement in Portugal: A Portrait in Various Dimensions

On October 27th, Anabela Carvalho presented a communication titled “Climate Movement in Portugal: A Portrait in Various Dimensions,” co-authored with Maria Fernandes-Jesus, Carla Malafaia, and Mehmet Ali Üzelgün at the 5th Sustainable Campus Conference (CCS 2023), an event promoted by the Sustainable Campus Network, Portugal. An extended summary has been published in the conference proceedings.

Reference: Carvalho, A., Fernandes-Jesus, M., Malafaia, C. e Üzelgün, M. A. (2023). Movimento climático em Portugal: Um retrato em várias dimensões. In Ferraz, A., Curado, A., Nogueira, J., Abrantes, J., Nunes, L., Laranjo, M., e Tomé, M. (coords.) Capacitação para a Ação Climática: Do Campus à Comunidade, Livro de Atas. 5a Conferência Campus Sustentável, (p. 3-4) Instituto Politécnico de Viana do Castelo, https://prometheus.ipvc.pt/conferences/ccs2023/livro-de-resumos/