ABSTRACT
German youth studies reflect how important issues of environmental pollution and climate change have become for the younger generation, insofar as they continue to climb up the list of issues that “cause fear”. That being said, the shockwave of infections shifted public attention from the climate crisis to health issues overnight, creating a very real danger that the pandemic would blow away the young environmental movement. The protests make clear that political action is directly linked to everyday life, and that everyday life is directly connected to politics – like that to-go coffee in a plastic cup. Many Fridays for Future activists became interested in the movement through Greta Thunberg. Studies show that about one in two young protesters say that she has increased their interest in climate issues, with even higher numbers among young women in Germany.
