It’s with much excitement that I’m here to announce today’s release of the second edition of Movement Makers: How Young Activists Upended the Politics of Climate Change. Doing a second edition of a book is always a big decision. However, at a time when new developments in climate politics–not to mention the grassroots movement to confront the climate crisis–seem to emerge almost by the week, I think it makes sense to release an updated version of the first book to comprehensively describe more than two decades of youth climate movement history in the United States.

Indeed, a lot has happened since the first edition of Movement Makers came out in late 2022. Below are five of the most significant developments in the climate movement from the past year–all of which you can read about in depth in the book!

1. A booming clean energy economy. When the original Movement Makers was released, the 2022 Inflation Reduction Act (IRA)–which includes the most significant climate legislation in U.S. history–was just months old. It seemed clear it would have a big impact, but no one knew just how big. More than a year, it’s clear that the IRA is reshaping our economy and supercharging the deployment of clean technologies. The new edition of Movement Makers details some of the most significant developments to come out of the IRA so far.
2. The return of mass climate mobilizations. Youth climate activists found many creative ways to weather the worst of the COVID pandemic. However, by 2022 it was obvious COVID-era school closures and restrictions on large gatherings had taken some of the wind from the sails of efforts to bring people into the streets for climate justice. Fortunately, signs now point to the climate movement returning to mass mobilizations, with recent large protests like a march of 75,000 people in New York last September.
3. Wins in the courts. One of the most exciting youth-led climate wins since the first edition of Movement Makers came out occurred in a courtroom in Montana, where a federal judge ruled in favor of young people arguing the state has a responsibility to act on climate change. The new edition includes a detailed discussion of this victory and its national implications.
4. Challenging animal agriculture. The original Movement Makers didn’t say much about animal agriculture, mostly because the grassroots movement to challenge big meat and dairy at the policy level is nowhere near as advanced as activism opposing the fossil fuel industry. Happily, in the new edition I was able to report on some real progress. Learn how a state policy win in Oregon could lay the groundwork for a national movement against industrial animal agriculture!
5. A broadened focus for campus activism. Colleges are among the oldest hotbeds of student-led climate activism in the U.S., and the last year and half have seen the campus-based climate movement evolve in innovative ways. Students are now building on past campaigns to reduce the carbon footprint of higher education and divest from fossil fuels–by dislodging coal, oil, and gas companies from the last places where they continue to exert influence at colleges and universities. In the new edition of Movement Makers you’ll learn how this new wave of organizing is taking higher ed by storm.

You can read about all of the above developments in detail in the all-new chapter at the end of the book’s new edition, which discusses how the youth climate movement has grown and evolved since late 2022. Other chapters have been updated to reflect the latest developments in climate activism in schools, colleges, and Washington, D.C. I came away from the research more inspired than ever by the young people who are leading the way toward a better future. Get the new edition of Movement Makers—and I bet you’ll be inspired, too!

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Photo credit: Grant Vu/South Seattle Emerald