Climate activist groups’ discourses on science and knowledge: merging rhetorical strategies with political visions

Abstract

Climate activist groups such as Fridays for Future and Extinction Rebellion have recurrently demanded for science to be taken seriously in political decision-making. Scholars point out that science has been “consecrated” as a source of guidance for a climate-dependent future, with a focus on techno-scientific reasoning. This can potentially suppress values of inclusivity and pluralism, and power dynamics inherent to climate politics from public discourse. This study examines the discursive uses of science by three Portuguese youth-led climate groups—School Strike for Climate Portugal, Climáximo, and LIDERA. We 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. We 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”.