From environmental protest to social power building beyond the climate: transformations of environmental activism in the Czech Republic

Environmental and climate activism in the Czech Republic has evolved within a polarized democracy where both dominant political blocs, ‘anti-democratic populism' and ‘democratic anti-populism,' reject climate policy. This article analyzes how grassroots movements respond to this closed political opportunity structure, focusing on Re-set, an organization that emerged from the climate justice movement. Unlike earlier protest-based or NGO-driven advocacy, Re-set advances a counter-hegemonic strategy by combining prefigurative practices, such as solidarity economies and cooperatives, with organized efforts to build social power from below. Drawing on qualitative research, including interviews and participant observation, the study shows how Re-set redefines activism across cosmological, technological, and organizational dimensions. In a context where the political left has disappeared, Re-set represents an innovative form of ‘beyond climate activism’ that not only challenges neoliberal hegemony but also offers new pathways for democratic practice and socio-ecological transformation.