Pipelines, provocateurs and pacifists

Abstract: Would you fight climate change at any cost? In the modern day debate, opinions on the appropriate measures to draw attention to the climate crisis are divided. When conventional methods fall short, some activists resort to more assertive approaches. The green left is debating climate strategies, with intellectuals like Andreas Malm and Alf Hornborg offering opposing views on the morality and effectiveness of violent measures. This essay aims to explore the intersection between ethics and climate issues by examining which normative values underpin the identified premises of arguments both in favor of and against the use of violence in climate activism. The results give us cause to assume that despite apparent differences, Malm and Hornborg hold similar foundational values. What instead ultimately separates them may hold the key to understanding why having a fruitful debate on climate activism proves challenging.