To Örebro University

Society is currently facing and experiencing a fundamental environmental and social climate-related crisis (IPCC, 2022). Despite this, many groups in society are opposed to or are skeptical about various sustainability reforms and research about the climate crisis and other environmental issues (e.g., Jylhä et al. 2022; Krange, Kaltenborn, & Hultman, 2019; Ojala, 2015). When teaching young people about sustainable development, we cannot assume that everyone is in favour of sustainable development; there is a diversity of views on these issues. Previous research demonstrates the importance of emotions for engagement and sustainability commitment, but also for denial and/or scepticism (Håkansson & Östman, 2019; Ojala, 2015; Öhman & Sund, 2021). Other research suggests that viewing denial as exhibiting both negative and positive mechanisms related to the reduction of risk of becoming emotionally paralysed when facing uncomfortable facts, holds great potential to entering a new understanding of denial (Lysgaard, 2019).  This study aims to clarify the underlying logic of how and why some young people express resistance and how habits, values and identity contribute to negative emotions and doubts about sustainable development, climate change and the current environmental crisis.

The analysed data originates from a Swedish internet forum which provide a public space for young people (aged 13 to 25) to discuss political matters. Forums of this kind are particularly valuable to study as young people can here openly discuss their views of sustainability topics (Andersson & Öhman, 2016). There are a number of studies that show the prevalence of youth resistance and that also point to sociological and psychological background factors (e.g., Skogen, 1999; Strandbu & Skogen, 2000; Ojala, 2015). There is however a lack of studies that develop an understanding of the character specifically of resistance to and tensions in sustainability topics among young people. That is, how this resistance is played out in discursive practice and the ideological tensions, arguments and the logic behind obstructive standpoints and manifestations. We propose here an understanding based on Pierre Bourdieu's (1986, 1994/2014) theory of capital, with the addition of symbolic environmental capital (Karol & Gale, 2004). Young people's resistance is relevant to education, we need to better understand resistance in order to deal with resistance and tensions constructively and then recommend didactic methods to cope with the tensions.