ABSTRACT
This chapter highlights the singularly Danish phenomenon of successful early grassroots mobilization in tandem with at least equally successful continuous institutionalization. It outlines the history of environmentalism and processes of institutionalization in the Danish context, and then spotlight certain moments of movement mobilization and globalization. The chapter turns to more recent developments, mainly to the years before and during COP21 in Paris, and argues are indicative of a changed political landscape in Denmark that opens the door to new expressions of radicalism and politicization of environmental issues and climate change. It shows how the Danish history of institutionalization of the environmental movement runs from grassroots-based radical ecologism to today's ecological modernization, and from grassroots-initiated green technological innovations to large-scale export of Danish renewable energy technology. The evolution of the Danish environmental movement is particularly interesting in terms of its very radical and strong grassroots base, and the speed with which it was co-opted and institutionalized.
