Kalter Wind von Rechts: Wie rechte Parteien und Akteur:innen die Klimakrise zu ihren Gunsten missbrauchen

The report analyzes how right-wing actors, particularly the AfD, instrumentalized the climate debate during the 2021 German federal election. It finds that while the AfD published the lowest percentage of climate-related content, its posts achieved significantly higher engagement than those of other parties. The study identifies a shift from outright climate denial toward a 'culture war' strategy, using disinformation narratives such as 'denial and delay' and 'absolution' to frame climate action as a threat to the German lifestyle. The analysis also highlights a stark platform divide, with Twitter predominantly hosting pro-climate messages and Facebook serving as a hub for climate-skeptical content.

• The AfD significantly outperformed other parties in terms of engagement for climate-related content, with its climate posts receiving 40% to 237% more shares than its average posts on other topics.
• Right-wing actors have shifted their strategy from denying the existence of climate change to framing climate protection as a 'culture war' and a threat to the lifestyle of voters, often labeling activists as 'climate terrorists'.
• Two primary disinformation narratives were identified: 'Denial and Delay', which downplays the danger of climate change, and 'Absolution', which argues that Germany should not act because other countries are more responsible for global CO2 emissions.
• There is a distinct divergence in the climate debate across social media platforms: Twitter is dominated by messages supporting climate protection, while Facebook is primarily used to share content that views climate measures negatively.
• Right-wing actors frequently instrumentalize sensationalist headlines from established media outlets to lend credibility to disinformation and misleading claims without addressing the actual facts of the articles.

APA

Matlach, P., & Janulewicz, Ł. (2021). Kalter Wind von Rechts: Wie rechte Parteien und Akteur:innen die Klimakrise zu ihren Gunsten missbrauchen. Institute for Strategic Dialogue. https://www.isdglobal.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/12/ISD_Analyse_Kalter-Wind-Klimadebatte-2021.pdf

Chicago

Matlach, Paula, and Łukasz Janulewicz. Kalter Wind von Rechts: Wie rechte Parteien und Akteur:innen die Klimakrise zu ihren Gunsten missbrauchen. Institute for Strategic Dialogue, 2021. https://www.isdglobal.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/12/ISD_Analyse_Kalter-Wind-Klimadebatte-2021.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Matlach |first1=Paula |last2=Janulewicz |first2=Łukasz |title=Kalter Wind von Rechts: Wie rechte Parteien und Akteur:innen die Klimakrise zu ihren Gunsten missbrauchen |publisher=Institute for Strategic Dialogue |date=2021 |url=https://www.isdglobal.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/12/ISD_Analyse_Kalter-Wind-Klimadebatte-2021.pdf |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{matlach2021kalter, author = {Matlach, Paula and Janulewicz, Łukasz}, title = {{Kalter Wind von Rechts: Wie rechte Parteien und Akteur:innen die Klimakrise zu ihren Gunsten missbrauchen}}, institution = {Institute for Strategic Dialogue}, year = {2021}, url = {https://www.isdglobal.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/12/ISD_Analyse_Kalter-Wind-Klimadebatte-2021.pdf}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }