From Apocalypse to Empowerment: Reframing Climate Action

Abstract This article proposes empowerment as a new frame for analyzing, communicating, and practicing climate action. I first discuss the role of collective action frames in social movements and the limitations of the predominant apocalyptic climate narratives. I then elaborate the concept of empowerment, which has received little attention from political scientists, who have emphasized “power-over” rather than “power-to.” Empowerment has long been a focus of attention within critical social work, feminist theory, community psychology, and social movement theory. Drawing on these literatures and others, I identify three dimensions of empowerment—critical awareness, resources and opportunities, and autonomy—and consider practical steps that climate leaders can take to empower others to simultaneously pursue personal development and social transformation.