CLIMATE OF FEAR

The movement lurched into life in 2019, building its membership rapidly to around 300 young Russians, who often held small strikes in parks.

But the pandemic would sever this momentum, pushing weekly strikes online while also providing a cover for the government to pass laws curbing protest rights. The movement now counts fewer than 100 active members.

Makichyan alleges that by benchmarking their progress on emissions reductions from 1990, the state strategically tries to downplay responsibility.

“They are just playing with numbers,” he said. “When the Soviet Union collapsed, let’s not lie, there was no action on climate – it was just the collapse of the economy.”

Activists also fear being labelled a ‘foreign agent’ by officials, a legal term the government interpreted very broadly since 2020.  It allows the authorities to disband civil society organisation, as seen in December’s ruling to liquidate the country’s oldest human rights’ group, Memorial.

The fear of this designation has cut off potential funding for the Russian Friday for Future group that it could have obtained from foreign NGOs.

But Makichyan argues this will not stop him. Above all he wants to raise climate awareness amongst Russians, which remains so low that his group was the first to translate the term ‘climate crisis’ into the language – a phrase that did not exist before.

“Climate activism is a new thing for Russia,” he said. “Even if you dare to strike, people don't appreciate your work, because we just started the discussion on climate and it's quite difficult to understand.”

Alongside his one-man strikes where he tries to educate passers-by, he and his peers focus on translating climate resources into Russian and giving interviews to the international media to amplify their message.

The group also partners with local protests, such as when it organised a solidarity strike with coal workers Krasnoyarsk in 2019 after the sky turned black from coal fires.

“It’s not about numbers, it’s about not giving up. I think there should be some hope and there should be examples that we are not afraid,” he said.

SWL contacted Russian government representatives for comment.

In China, street protests are uncommon and public fear of engaging in activism remains strong.

But the 19-year-old argues they – alongside the dozen or so members part of Fridays for Future China – and more focused on battling climate change than the state.

“Psychological stress is high because most people haven’t done activism so they probably shut the door to activism themselves,” they said.

“I feel the repression towards me will be higher in the future, but from my point of view activism isn’t that dangerous the more people join,” Ou added, emphasising they are excited to return to China soon.

Like in Russia, users on social media also label Ou and other activists ‘foreign forces’ in an attempt to discredit them, they claim.

But they also argue international observers are too quick to blame China on climate change, which detracts blame from the responsibility of developed countries. Dismissing the state’s attempts to address climate change, they claim, is also preventing constructive dialogue.

“The international media are not telling their local audience that they need to reflect on their privilege too, rather than pointing at China,” they said.

Ou left home soon after their first climate strike and toured China several times in an attempt to meet environmental NGOs, which were initially hostile to their more confrontational approach.

They nonetheless successfully launched several campaigns including ‘Plant for Survival’, an initiative encouraging Chinese citizens to plant 18 to 20 trees a year to offset emissions, and held climate documentary screenings weekly across five cities.

But it was spending several months travelling and meeting activists in Switzerland, Germany, France and the UK this year which encouraged Ou to reconsider their activism.

While they acknowledge government-aligned NGOs legitimise the political system in China, they are reconsidering working more with them if that’s what it takes to achieve change.

“I think nothing is completely outside the system,” they said. “By wanting to stay independent of the government it has led us to remain very small and it’s very hard to talk to a larger audience.”

In November, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi said the country is taking “real action” in the battle against climate change, a fight in which it he says it is a “serious and responsible” participant. China has pledged it will be carbon neutral by 2060.

Ou also hopes that by working with Chinese traditional culture movements which focus on frugality and harmony between people and nature, they hope their movement can build on popular belief systems to garner wider support.

“After COP I am recognising Chinese traditional culture more and a society that hasn’t been fully infiltrated by capitalism, which has potential,” they said, injecting a note of optimism to a discussion of a struggle which often seems dominated by despair.