Climate strike in Berlin. Photography by Jörg Farys
Since Swedish schoolgirl-turned-climate activist Greta Thunberg began protesting last November outside the Swedish parliament, young leaders have popped up across Europe and the world to form the Fridays for Future movement. But as school-skipping marches have gained popularity (over 1 million students hit the streets in 125 countries on 15 March this year), brought global attention to the dire state of the environment and called out politicians on inaction, the leaders of these movements have come under the scrupulous microscope of social justice environmentalism, to see if they are pure enough to speak out about climate change.
“The more people hear you, the more people will confront you,” says Luisa Neubauer, 23, one of the leaders of the German chapter of Fridays for Future. “Whatever you do, it is never quite right – all of the things you do get put into the context of your activism.”
Since joining in January, Neubauer has become a prominent face of the movement’s German chapter — one of the largest, with more than 200 active cities – frequently appearing in German and international press. Like most of us, she shares her life on social media, but a quick scroll through the comment section shows that everything is up for a green critique, from her coffee habit, to family trips to Africa. If the Fridays for Future organisers wear fashionable outfits, people want to know (and will ask) if it is from a sustainable supplier. And if they travel anywhere — whether it is for public speaking or other engagements — there is outrage if the journey was not by train or bus.
For German sociologist Dieter Rucht, from the Institute for Social Movement Studies in Berlin, being criticised comes with the territory when you have a platform, but how people attack someone can say a lot about societal insecurities.
“Whenever public figures promote high moral standards, they risk to be closely watched to see whether or not they meet theses standards in their own practices,” Rucht says. “Judgements on an observed or alleged discrepancy between standards and practices differ in their degree of rigour, ranging from a more lenient position (‘that’s our human nature’) to harsh scandalisation (‘hypocrite’ etc.). People who, for whatever reasons, feel attacked or threatened by high moral standards, tend towards harsh scandalisation.”
The tricky part when it comes to environmentalism, is that the world is set up in a way where in order to avoid one environmental disaster, you may be contributing to another. Neubauer abstains from consuming meat because of the negative impacts the industry has on the environment, but she admits to eating bananas, which take their own toll on the earth as they are shipped from tropical groves to northern European supermarkets. The German leader says that this can often lead to “green guilt” as no choice seems completely right.
“I realise every day how difficult it is for women to stand up for something, and how many people are not ok with that,” she says.
Luisa Neubauer
“For some, it is most important not to waste plastic,” she says. “To others, it is not to eat meat or not consume new clothes. All of that is projected on me, as though I have to live up to all of those expectations, which is impossible.”
While leaders of the FFF movement across the world face the same critiques, not all messages are equal as lines of prejudice can still be traced through the trolling of environmentalists. Neubauer is often surprised, not by what people say to her, but how they say it, with many critics starting off their comments with things like “Dear little Luisa” and criticising her for posting photos of herself on her Instagram account, posing and using filters — criticism which is often infused with misogyny.
“I realise every day how difficult it is for women to stand up for something, and how many people are not ok with that,” she says.
While Neubauer believes that people should take responsibility for saving the earth, she emphasises that there is a difference between demanding change from the government and going around telling people off for not being green enough. She wishes the movement could be kinder towards itself, but in the meantime, she tries to stay out of social media comment sections and focus on the work that needs to be done.
“You have to accept that people will criticise you for standing up for something,” Neubauer says. “It helps to not take it personally, but as part of the chaos that is around the climate crisis.”