About

The fight against climate change has united millions of young people around the world. Especially in Finland and Sweden, young people have been at the forefront, demanding concrete and urgent action from decision-makers on climate and environmental issues. Politics, economic resources, and recognized expertise are still largely dominated by adults and major corporations dependent on fossil fuels, while the overconsuming global upper class and far-right interests continue to shape how seriously the climate crisis is taken in political decisions.

Goal

TalkGreen explores the anatomy of collective decision-making with and among young climate activists in Finland and Sweden. The project applies theories and methods from social psychology, applied linguistics, and intercultural communication to analyze data from both natural and experimental decision-making contexts.

Our objectives are:

(1) to identify patterns of collective decision-making within Finnish and Swedish climate activism

(2) to investigate ways of reconciling the differing interests of activists and policymakers.

climate protest

Impact

The study produces new insights into the social interaction mechanisms that can either facilitate or hinder joint decision-making in climate and environmental matters—issues that are notoriously complex and dilemma-rich. Ultimately, our aim is to identify the fine-grained interactional mechanisms that may foster or obstruct genuinely democratic, grassroots practices that are vital for the future of our societies.

Funding

The project is funded by the Kone Foundation 1.9.2025–30.8.2029.