Boiling Over: How Climate Change-Related Natural Disasters Impact Environmental Activism

• In Event: Poster Session: Ralph Bunche Summer Institute (RBSI) Scholars

Abstract

This paper investigates the impact of climate-related natural disasters on environmental protests. The study aims to understand how natural disasters influence public mobilization and protests related to environmental issues. Using a dataset that includes records of climate-related natural disasters and environmental protests from 2015 to 2022, I apply a regression analysis to determine both the long and short-term effects of natural disasters on protest behavior. The findings reveal that while an increase in the number of natural disasters has a significant long-term effect in raising the frequency of environmental protests, there is no impact in the short term. These results suggest that repeatedly experiencing natural disasters increases the political salience of natural disasters and their connection with climate change, increasing environmental protests. This study contributes to the broader understanding of environmental activism, emphasizing the critical role that the tangible effects of climate change play in shaping public dissent and advocacy efforts.

Author

• Natalia Adams, Wake Forest University