Breathing Agency: Empowerment, Knowledge, and Networked Activism. The Case of Polish Smog Alerts

A over the last decade, Poland has witnessed significant civic mobilization against air pollution, led by organizations called smog alerts. This article examines empowerment mechanisms within this movement, utilizing Marc A. Zimmerman’s multi-level framework. Drawing on qualitative interviews with activists, the study analyzes the interplay between psychological, organizational, and community-level empowerment. Findings demonstrate that technical and expert knowledge—acquired through citizen monitoring and training—acts as a vital bridge between internal capacity-building (empowering dimension) and external political efficacy (empowered dimension). The network’s success stems from a strategic empowerment synergy between local grassroots initiatives and national advocacy. This impact is driven by a dual-level structure that integrates localized mobilization with centralized knowledge-sharing platforms. Our research indicates that policy change is most effective when social movements function as knowledge co-producers, identifying systemic gaps while leveraging the empowerment synergy between grassroots insights and efficient coalition management.