Hidden Agendas, Dangerous Ideologies: How the Populist Right Threatens Climate Adaptation

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Just a few months after the successes of right-wing populist parties in European and regional elections, another vote is approaching that could continue this trend. The February 2024 snap election for the German federal government comes at a time of political upheaval, where authoritarian policies are gaining support and climate and environmental protection face major setbacks. 

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Amid this moment of uncertainty, the climate crisis remains ever-present. Record-breaking heat and catastrophic floods, such as those recently experienced in Central Europe and southern Spain, have become the new norm. Alongside ambitious climate protection, effective adaptation to the impacts of climate change is of utmost importance—and is simultaneously being seriously threatened by a rising populist right.
 

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Climate Adaptation According to the AfD

Right-wing populist parties are increasingly using the topic of climate adaptation to promote their ideologies under the guise of environmental concern. Andreas Jurca, a member of the Bavarian state parliament from the AfD, linked the lack of flood protection to migration following the devastating floods of June this year, stating, “Imagine if we had built dikes instead of paying criminal foreigners repatriation aid.” The election platforms of the AfD for the regional elections in Saxony, Thuringia, and Brandenburg outline an adaptation policy that promotes a nationalist nature and homeland protection along with a ‘new regionalism’.

In the same breath, climate protection is presented as an enemy, with adaptation used as a counterpoint. Karsten Hilse, the AfD’s spokesperson for environmental policy in the Bundestag, called for a climate adaptation fund instead of the ‘doomed-to-fail ‘protection of the climate’.’ The Brandenburg AfD’s election programme for the 2024 state election makes this stance even clearer: “Our energy policy is based on the principle: climate adaptation instead of climate protection.”

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Right-Wing Ideology Camouflaged as Climate Adaptation

The idea that climate protection and adaptation are mutually exclusive is pseudoscientific and populist. Ambitious climate protection is essential to prevent exceeding the limits of adaptability. The troubling aspect is that the AfD does not genuinely seek effective prevention. It exploits disasters such as floods or wildfires by portraying itself as a saviour during crises and capitalising on people’s desperation to spread its ideologies. Part of this ideology involves transforming nature into a symbol of home and patriotism and using climate adaptation for a reactionary policy aimed at an ethnically homogeneous society.

Climate adaptation according to the AfD poses a particular risk to those already suffering greatly from the effects of the climate crisis. The real needs and vulnerabilities of affected individuals are not what the AfD considers when deciding who should receive special protection; instead, it is driven by its fascist agenda. Effective adaptation requires international cooperation, synergies with climate protection, and the safeguarding of vulnerable groups. Neglecting these essential aspects would put people’s health and safety in jeopardy.

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A Strong Response Is Needed

At first glance, working with the AfD might seem the lesser evil to secure majorities for climate adaptation. However, it must be clear that effective climate adaptation and right-wing populist ideologies are incompatible. 

To explore this further, public bodies and civil society should examine how the connections between right-wing populism and climate adaptation are developing in Germany and Europe. Furthermore, there must be a public that denounces the exploitation of climate adaptation, as well as clear quality standards for implementing adaptation measures. This approach could lay the groundwork for a socially just and sustainable alternative.

The campaign for the early federal election is a crucial opportunity for all democratic parties to clearly distance themselves from right-wing populist narratives in the area of climate adaptation. To make our towns and communities climate-resilient, livable, and healthy for all, much is needed—but certainly not the AfD.

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This article was first published in an adapted version on December 3, 2024, in Klimareporter.

An updated version was first published on December 16, 2024 in Frankfurter Rundschau.
 

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