The Eruption, Implosion, and Future of Radical Environmentalism: From Earth First! to Extinction Rebellion

Drawing on over three decades of in-depth ethnographic and archival research, in this presentation I will review the main watersheds in the history of radical environmentalism, focusing especially on Earth First! and the Earth Liberation Front, but also illuminating continuities between these radical environmental forms (including their nature spiritualities and apocalyptic expectations) and the more recent emergence of Extinction Rebellion. I will analyze the factors that precipitated the eruption and implosion of Earth First! and the ELF, including the critically important role of the 'dark green' nature spiritualities that animate most of its activists, consider the movement’s current forms and future prospects, and whether Extinction Rebellion represents a new, and possibly more effective chapter, in the history of radical environmentalism.