Paper short abstract:

Drawing from the Greek ethnographic context, a less privileged part of Europe, following mobilisations to save the future of people and land in the face of environmental catastrophes, the aim is to to problematize privilege, future and urgency in the context of rising awareness of climate change

Paper long abstract:

Considering Europe as the privileged global north, not having experienced climate and environmental disasters yet being home to public discourse about the science and fears regarding climate change doesn't imply that all Europeans and European countries are homogeneously privileged in other respects. This paper draws from newly emergent reactions to climate change and environmental awareness in Greece, a peripheral European country with a recent past of economical turmoil. By following "Parents for future Greece", "Fridays for Future", "Extinction Rebellion Hellas", and the initiative "Save Agrafa" (save the Agrafa mountain range from windturbines), the aim is to ethnographically elucidate the people behind these movements, in some cases clearly originating from a local elite while in other forming a more diverse pool, as well as the key meanings ascribed to these initiatives especially as they became part of the public discourse. Nature, climate, environment, mountains, wellbeing, are all at stake. Drawing from this "less privileged" part of Europe, from mobilisations with nevertheless close affiliations towards sister mobilisations in other parts of Europe characterised by global identities and scopes, as well from clearly localised mobilisations, this paper wishes to problematize and add context to the notion of privilege when it comes to environmental awareness and will to act; the notion of future, in terms of what is at stake, who is entitled responsibility for the future and in what ways human and non-human futures become one; and the notion of urgency as a key driving force of mobilisation often uniting diverse stakeholders.