Between Street, Court, and Reorientation (Zwischen Straße, Gericht und Neuorientierung)
The German Climate Movement in Transition (Die Klimabewegung in Deutschland im Wandel)
The German climate movement is undergoing a profound change. After years of mass mobilization and broad social visibility, it is currently facing increasing repression, media delegitimization, and a general decline in resources. This article analyzes the current dynamics, scope for action, and repertoires of the movement in the context of crisis and realignment. In particular, it focuses on the strategic expansion of the repertoire to include legal means such as climate lawsuits. These lawsuits act as a countercyclical, robust component of climate policy engagement that can have long-term effects even in times of declining street protests. Based on the Hamburg plausibility approach and the Klimawende Ausblick 2025 (Climate Change Outlook 2025), the article assesses the extent to which the climate movement and climate lawsuits can currently plausibly interact as social drivers of the German climate transition. The paper thereby intends to contribute to movement-related transformation research.
Full-text, in German, in the link above.