Youth climate activism in Québec
This paper presents the results of the first study of the secondary school student strikes in Québec for climate and other environmental or “green” initiatives which, in 2019, resulted in the world’s largest youth protests against climate change. Based on 20 semi-structured interviews with students from nine secondary schools, as well as letters from school principals addressed to students’ parents and a review of Québec media coverage of student environmental activism, this article reiterates the finding that schools are venues for political conflict and power struggles between students and adults and between students with diverging opinions on climate change and opposing outlooks on environmental activism. It also reflects on youth engagement in autonomous, direct action groups, such as Extinction Rebellion, on the debates occurring in these forums and on the potential for a renewal of the Québec student protest movement in light of an anticipated and unprecedented environmental disaster.