The climate crisis and the rise of the far-right

The author contends that the rise of far-right parties, such as Germany's AfD, is partly a reaction to climate policies that lack social equity. To combat this, the text advocates for a 'post-growth' framework and the implementation of community-led energy solutions that prioritize human well-being over profit. It calls for developed nations to accelerate emission cuts and for the EU to shift fossil fuel subsidies toward carbon-free heating to ensure a just transition.

• The rise of far-right populism, exemplified by the Alternative für Deutschland (AfD), is linked in part to public backlash against climate policies that are perceived as unfair, such as the heating law.
• To maintain a functioning organized society, developed countries must radically accelerate emission cuts to achieve carbon neutrality by the mid-2030s and advanced carbon negativity by the 2040s.
• According to IEA data from September 2023, 60 percent of fossil fuel reserves must remain in the ground to maintain a 50 percent chance of limiting temperature increases to 1.5°C.
• The 'post-growth' (or post-development) theory is proposed as an alternative to capitalism, focusing on human well-being and environmental sustainability by abolishing industrial meat, planned obsolescence, the arms industry, and fossil fuels.
• Energy communities are highlighted as a practical tool for social and climate justice, allowing citizens and NGOs to co-own local renewable energy projects and reduce household bills.
• The European Environment Agency indicates that redirecting half of the fossil fuel heating subsidies toward heat pumps could enable Europe to achieve a carbon-free heating system by 2040.
• There is strong public support in Europe for a dual approach that addresses both social inequalities and the climate crisis, with 68 percent of Europeans favoring such a strategy.

APA

Vrettos, C. (2024). The climate crisis and the rise of the far-right. Green European Journal. https://www.greeneuropeanjournal.eu/%ce%ac%ce%bd%ce%b8%cf%81%cf%89%cf%80%ce%bf%ce%b9-%ce%ae-%cf%80%ce%bb%ce%b1%ce%bd%ce%ae%cf%84%ce%b7%cf%82-%ce%ad%ce%bd%ce%b1-%cf%88%ce%b5%cf%85%ce%b4%ce%ad%cf%82-%ce%b4%ce%af%ce%bb%ce%b7%ce%bc%ce%bc/

Chicago

Vrettos, Chris. The climate crisis and the rise of the far-right. Green European Journal, 2024. https://www.greeneuropeanjournal.eu/%ce%ac%ce%bd%ce%b8%cf%81%cf%89%cf%80%ce%bf%ce%b9-%ce%ae-%cf%80%ce%bb%ce%b1%ce%bd%ce%ae%cf%84%ce%b7%cf%82-%ce%ad%ce%bd%ce%b1-%cf%88%ce%b5%cf%85%ce%b4%ce%ad%cf%82-%ce%b4%ce%af%ce%bb%ce%b7%ce%bc%ce%bc/.

Wikipedia

{{cite press release |last1=Vrettos |first1=Chris |title=The climate crisis and the rise of the far-right |publisher=Green European Journal |date=3 September 2024 |url=https://www.greeneuropeanjournal.eu/%ce%ac%ce%bd%ce%b8%cf%81%cf%89%cf%80%ce%bf%ce%b9-%ce%ae-%cf%80%ce%bb%ce%b1%ce%bd%ce%ae%cf%84%ce%b7%cf%82-%ce%ad%ce%bd%ce%b1-%cf%88%ce%b5%cf%85%ce%b4%ce%ad%cf%82-%ce%b4%ce%af%ce%bb%ce%b7%ce%bc%ce%bc/ |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@misc{vrettos2024climate, author = {Vrettos, Chris}, title = {{The climate crisis and the rise of the far-right}}, publisher = {Green European Journal}, year = {2024}, month = sep, url = {https://www.greeneuropeanjournal.eu/%ce%ac%ce%bd%ce%b8%cf%81%cf%89%cf%80%ce%bf%ce%b9-%ce%ae-%cf%80%ce%bb%ce%b1%ce%bd%ce%ae%cf%84%ce%b7%cf%82-%ce%ad%ce%bd%ce%b1-%cf%88%ce%b5%cf%85%ce%b4%ce%ad%cf%82-%ce%b4%ce%af%ce%bb%ce%b7%ce%bc%ce%bc/}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }