Populists in power: A challenge for ambitious EU climate policy
- Contents
- Case study: EU rules limit populists’ damage to climate action in Spain
- Case study: Fear of ousted populists could be enough to stall climate policy in Poland
- Interview: European populists exploit climate view divide between city and countryside – researcher
- Interview: Climate policies centred on social justice counter far-right populist strategies – researcher
***Please note: This dossier on the impact of rising populism on climate efforts in Europe is part of CLEW's wider coverage of the 2024 EU elections. Our focus on the elections includes stories, events, opportunities to get involved, and other tools to support journalists covering the election's impact on climate and energy policy.***
Case study: EU rules limit populists’ damage to climate action in Spain
The impact of a populist party opposed to climate action is starting to make itself clearly felt in Spain. From climate budget cuts to suspending low-emission zones and reversing plans for green taxes: As a partner in several city and regional governments, the country’s leading far-right party, Vox, can apply the brakes to all manner of policies aiming for emission cuts, even though it is not part of a national government. But – for now – Vox’s ability to harm the fight against climate change is limited by national and EU legislation, analysts and activists say. Read the case study here.
Case study: Fear of ousted populists could be enough to stall climate policy in Poland
The election victory of the pro-EU coalition led by former European Council president Donald Tusk in late 2023 stirred high hopes for the start of serious climate policies in Poland after an eight-year lull during the rule of the right-wing populist Law and Justice party. But disenchantment has already started to spread, as researchers see the government shying away from ambitious action due to fear of a backlash driving voters back into the arms of the populist party. Experts argue the government can still make rapid progress if it manages to repackage climate policies to showcase the benefits for people feeling left behind. Read the case study here.
Interview: European populists exploit climate view divide between city and countryside – researcher
Europe is set to face a climate backlash caused by the divide between urban and rural views, with populists increasingly capitalising on rural resistance against policies seen as elitist, argues Daphne Halikiopoulou, Chair of Comparative Politics at the University of York. Mainstream parties are increasingly prepared to collaborate with populists, giving them the opportunity to implement their legislative agendas, says Halikiopoulou. But this does not necessarily imply a complete overhaul of climate policy, as these parties often must tone down their extremist narratives once in power. A just transition to ensure that people who face disadvantages from climate policies are compensated will become increasingly important, she says in this interview.
Interview: Climate policies centred on social justice counter far-right populist strategies – researcher
Democratic parties across Europe should treat climate policies as a matter of social justice to combat the increasing threat of far-right populist politicians who oppose strong climate action, says Linus Westheuser, sociologist at the Humboldt University in Berlin. This approach – rather than trying to change people's daily routines – is the best way to counter right-wing populists who seek to turn climate debates into a culture war between ideological city elites and the average voter worried about petrol prices. Germany still boasts a strong centre in society with middle-of-the-road positions, and a majority agrees that "those who have more should contribute more to fighting climate change," says the researcher. While the topic of climate has become much more politicised in the past couple of years, there is general consensus that something must be done about it, he told Clean Energy Wire. Read the interview here.