White inside: a critical examination of how structural whiteness in the Dutch climate movement obstructs climate justice

Abstract: Despite attention for lack of racial diversity in climate movements in the Global North, there is little examination of other manifestations of whiteness. This thesis examines how structural whiteness – as a norm and as a power structure – shapes the Dutch climate movement’s relation to climate justice and how these impacts can be countered. Understanding racial justice as central to climate justice, I apply the lens of Critical Whiteness Studies to the Dutch climate movement. I combine expert interviews with activists engaged in intersectional climate justice activism and focus groups with white climate activists in XRNL and an NGO. The results show that whiteness significantly shapes the mainstream climate movement in the Netherlands in a way that obstructs climate justice. It leads to reductive uses of climate justice, narrow narratives on the causes, consequences, and solutions to climate change, and silencing or tokenising BIPOC. Solidarity is an important way to enact climate justice and dismantle white supremacy but can still be inhibited by whiteness. Tackling whiteness requires genuine solidarity activism, following BIPOC leadership, and education on colonialism and white supremacy. It is important that white people take responsibility for their education and countering whiteness. Moreover, self-examination is needed on how they personally reinforce white supremacy to counter white exceptionalism and performative activism.