Global Environmentalists and Their Movements at the World Social Forums

Global environmentalism is a particularly important theme in the global politics of the Left. Some have argued that, of the movements emerging from the 1960s, the environmental movement has had the most salient and enduring impact in world politics (Chase-Dunn and Babones 2006; Rootes 1999a). It also remains one of the largest transnational movements to date (Johnson and McCarthy 2005; Smith 2004b). Furthermore, the environmental justice movement (EJM) may have potential to link different movements and regions together into a larger social struggle (Faber 2005). This chapter assesses the different forms of environmentalism around the world, considering the capacities this movement has for uniting diverse movement segments around common antisystemic framework(s).