Populists in power: A challenge for ambitious EU climate policy

Right-wing populist parties opposed to climate action are gaining power and popularity across the European continent and are set to do well in the 2024 European Parliament elections. These parties strongly influence climate narratives and fuel divisive debates. However, a closer look at populist parties in several EU countries shows that their actual impact has been limited by national and EU rules, coalition constraints and a lack of feasibility of their extreme campaign proposals. Still, they have hampered climate policy at the local, regional, and national levels and their influence continues to grow. While climate action is still a priority for a majority of voters in Europe, populists try to exploit scepticism towards specific measures. Researchers call on policymakers to carefully introduce measures that ensure a socially just transition. Read the analysis here.

One week after the shock results for East Germany in the European elections, where populist parties made strong gains while the government coalition parties took a beating, chancellor Olaf Scholz met with state leaders from the East to debate urgent policy changes in the region. The eastern state leaders, who fear another major victory for the far-right and nationalist left-wing forces in three state elections later this year, said a successful energy transition will be a key instrument in the bid for keeping voters in the East away from supporting extremist forces. Read the article here.

After months of negotiations, politicians in the Netherlands reached a deal to form a new government that will include populist parties: the nationalist Party for Freedom (PVV) and the agrarian-populist Farmer-Citizen Movement (BBB). The plans they have presented put farmers' interests above environmental action, and emphasise energy security and climate adaptation. The PVV and BBB tend to pit rural areas and farmers against political elites in big cities and the EU. With populist parties coming to power at the national level, it remains to be seen whether their strong rhetoric translates into policy and action, researchers say. Read the case study here.

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.

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.