10.3d Countermovements

Most, if not all, social movements have countermovements. A countermovement is opposed to the goals of another social movement. For example, countermovements oppose changes designed to slow climate change and other environmental concerns. Countermovement organizations often have economic interests at stake (such as the oil or steel industry) in the success of a social movement or ideologies opposed to social change (Brulle & Aronczyk, 2019).

Recent research on the rise of global movements associated with countering pro-environmental social change finds that countermovements also draw on culture and identity among citizens (Furuta & Bromley, 2025). In other words, these movements may appeal to anti-government values held by libertarians or focus on nurturing anti-environmental identities among people who view pro-environmental social change as an attack on their way of life.

Anti-environmental and climate change skepticism messages have found a home in conservative media in the United States. Therefore, people drawn to conservative media for other reasons consume anti-environmental messages, too (Sarathchandra et al., 2024). One’s concern about climate change and beliefs about handling are also intertwined with political identity. Seventy-eight percent of people in the United States who lean Democrat view climate change as a significant threat (Tyson et al., 2023). In contrast, 23% of people in the United States who lean Republican share the same view (Tyson et al., 2023).