Blick, Selena Laurel2018-12-152018-12-152018-06https://hdl.handle.net/1794/2398659 pages. Presented to the Department of Environmental Studies and the Robert D. Clark Honors College in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Bachelor of Science June 2018Despite frightening predictions from climate scientists, world leaders have done little to address climate change over the last 50 years. In response, citizen activists around the world have started to take matters into their own hands, but these individuals are still in the minority due to the complexity of climate change and social denial surrounding the issue. For my research, I sought to help better explain what motivates these activists to tackle this complex issue and how these findings might help to grow the climate activist movement in the future. Through interviewing a range of climate activists in Oregon, I found that social justice concerns and sense of community proved to be the most powerful motivators for activists. Time spent outside as a child also had a notable influence due to the resulting connection to place. Throughout my research, love of people and places were shown to be the most strong and prevailing motivations.en-USCreative Commons BY-NC-ND 4.0-USEnvirnmental studiesClimate activismClimate changeMotivesEnvironmentalismEnvironmental activismClimate justiceBehavioral changesThesis/Dissertation