“Is climate change even political?” - Dynamics of politicisation, affective polarisation and de-politicisation in the context of the German climate movement "Letzte Generation"

Since January 2022, the protests of the climate movement Letzte Generation have contributed to a new wave of politicisation of climate change in Germany. Using tactics of non-violent direct action and civil disobedience, the movement aims to urge the German government to implement more effective policy measures to reach the 1,5°C goal of the 2015 Paris Agreement. It has received widespread criticism for its actions and has been blamed, amongst others, for being radical, criminal, anti-democratic and for undermining the previous successes of the climate movement. However, not only does the Letzte Generation’s choice of strategies and their justifications raise important questions about democratic legitimacy in the face of the ongoing – and most likely deteriorating – climate crisis. It also presents an interesting dynamic of politicisation and political conflict that is on the one hand frequently denounced as leading to a polarisation of the public debate and society, yet at the same time seems to be characterised by arguments and strategies on both sides that avoid or even deny the political nature of the issues at the heart of the debate. This paper takes a closer look at those dynamics of politicisation, (affective) polarisation and depoliticization that unfold around the actions and demands of the Letzte Generation. Providing an analysis of in-depth qualitative interviews with members of the Letzte Generation and their opponents, as well as a frame analysis of the movement’s public communication and the public debate surrounding it, I aim to shed light on the relationship between those three concepts and the resulting dynamics of political conflict in the struggle around appropriate reactions to climate change.