This article makes use of the analytical tools of the Theory of Action regarding social movements and contemporary social conflicts, as well as reflections about NGOs, in order to outline a suitable explanatory model to understand relevant aspects of the contemporary environmentalism. The initial hypothesis is that the crisis experienced by leaders and militants is caused by a two-side difficulty: on one hand, its constitution as a unique social actor with a cultural project of society and, on the other hand, its double performance as a social actor and a political agent. From then on, our purpose is to understand the change caused by the social action of the environmental NGOs in its everyday dimension. The NGOs have an outstanding role in the deep process of social learning that mobilizes very different categories of social actors, as well as, in the final establishment of an environmental field. Besides the national and international theoretical debate on the subject, this article is also based on the direct observation of the environmentalists everyday action since the CNUMAD-92.
social conflicts; environmentalism; non governmental organizations