Climate Action and Civil Society in Turkey and Germany

This book explores the social and political dynamics that shape the impacts of climate change, drawing upon Turkey and Germany to offer a comprehensive comparative analysis.

Civil society representatives, the climate movement, the youth, and arts and culture actors from around the world unequivocally call for a deep transformation of political, economic, and social structures in order to avoid the devastating effects of climate change. The transformation that is prescribed is perceived as insufficient, technocratic, and market-based and does not involve challenging power relations at the heart of climate action. This book addresses these concerns, using a comparative analysis to explore the issues and efficiency of a meaningful sustainable transition. The in-depth comparison of two conventionally dissimilar cases, Turkey and Germany, demonstrates that civil society actors in different political settings can use similar strategies and frames for climate action against state actors. In turn, states use similar depoliticization strategies (albeit via different mechanisms) and economic growth narratives to reproduce hegemony. The book untangles the different processes that create the contentious, politicized common ground in which these stakeholders interact with each other. The findings of this research have significant implications for many developing and developed countries alike where climate policymaking is painstakingly inadequate.

This book will be of interest to students, researchers, and academics interested in political ecology, climate politics, and politics of development.