A social movements expert says these tactics only convince people who already think climate change is serious.
Young activists are taking an eye-catching tactic to demand action on climate change this year — hurling food at famous pieces of art.
The activists say they’re trying to stop an oil pipeline, limit fossil fuel use, and wake up the masses to the gravity of the climate crisis.
The wave of food-throwing climate protests prompted international outcry, with government officials and art experts shunning the practice and museums the world over increasing security, according to The Wall Street Journal.
“What I’ve found is that these tactics are likely to be viewed as positive by people who already believe that climate change is a serious social problem,” Dylan Bugden, a sociologist at Washington State University who studies global climate change protests, told Insider.
In Bugden’s research, he’s found disruptive and confrontational tactics aren’t effective on people who are not already concerned about climate change. “While that speaks to the limitations of this form of protest, it is also evidence that these tactics are unlikely to backfire,” Bugden said, adding, “These more extreme tactics tend to preach to the choir more than anything.”