Activists' Success

The tactics of 'Restore Wetlands' to protest on highways and disrupt TV broadcasts have proven beneficial for the group's goals, according to a new British study.

– This once again shows that non-violent, disruptive actions can be very effective in bringing an issue to the forefront, says Cathy Rogers, one of the study's authors.

'Restore Wetlands' managed to turn a relatively unknown issue into a major political topic – both among the public and politicians – according to a study from the British Social Change Lab.

Mentions of 'wetlands' in the media doubled between 2021 and 2022 and tripled between 2021 and 2023, according to the study.

Eight months after the group's first actions, 70 percent of Swedes felt that 'Restore Wetlands' methods were not justified. However, 75 percent of the population still supported the restoration of wetlands itself, demonstrating a successful separation of message and methods, according to the study.

– It shows that the population is smarter than many think, says Cathy Rogers.

Impact on Public Opinion

The study also concludes that 'Restore Wetlands' has influenced what Swedish people considered voting for. After studying the results of several opinion polls before and after the group's actions, it is suggested that support for 'pro-climate parties' increased by 0.79 percentage points, most notably with the Center Party, where support increased by 0.45 percentage points.

– There is often talk that this type of action leads to polarization and backlash, but that is not what we have seen here. People have rather started to sympathize more with 'Restore Wetlands'.

Easy to Support

The fact that the name 'Restore Wetlands' is the same as the group's message helps, as does how feasible it sounds, says Cathy Rogers.

– There is a strong dissonance between their methods and their message. When you see people gluing themselves to highways or storming sports events, you expect the message to be something polarizing. But here, the message is something that many find easy to support. These contrasts create interest.

The study also highlights that wetlands have remained relatively protected despite budget cuts in the climate and environmental sector. Sweden's government allocated 765 million kronor until 2030 for wetland restoration, although some of the funding came from reallocations rather than new investments.

“I was very negatively disposed towards their strategy... But I must say they are not wrong. And it has also led us and our government to decide to allocate funds for wetland restoration...,” says a member of parliament from one of the Tidö parties in the Environment and Agriculture Committee in a survey response from the study.