The Contradictory Rise of Anti-Environmentalism in Western Politics.

Anti-environmentalism is gaining momentum across Western political landscapes, marked by growing resistance to net zero policies, conservation initiatives, and anti-pollution efforts. Recent election outcomes in the UK, US, and Europe suggest this backlash is reshaping mainstream political discourse. Yet despite its rise, anti-environmentalism is riddled with inconsistencies that clash with everyday experience and longstanding conservative values.

At its core, anti-environmentalism entails a rejection of environmental policies and activism. Its rhetoric is bold, but its foundations are shaky. Prominent figures like former US President Donald Trump illustrate the contradictions: while actively dismantling environmental protections—including funding for climate research—Trump still claims to be an environmentalist. At a 2024 rally in Wisconsin, he declared, “I want clean air and clean water. Really clean water. Really clean air.”

Such statements highlight the ideological confusion within the movement. The populist anti-green politics championed by the Republican Party in the US, Reform UK, Germany’s Alternative für Deutschland (AfD), and France’s National Rally have moved away from traditional conservative principles. These groups, while often labeled conservative, increasingly diverge from the conservationist ideals that once defined conservative politics.

Organizations like the Conservative Environment Network continue to advocate for conservative-led environmentalism, emphasizing that many landmark protections—such as the establishment of US national parks and UK pollution controls—were initiated by conservative governments. However, their voices are being drowned out by a populist wave that disregards this heritage, despite broad public support for environmental action.

Surveys show that 80% of UK residents are concerned about climate change, and the US Environmental Protection Agency enjoys strong bipartisan support. This public sentiment is grounded in daily encounters with environmental degradation, from erratic weather patterns to the collapse of biodiversity. These aren’t abstract concerns—they’re visible from the front porch.

Despite this, many anti-environmentalist leaders insist they care about nature. The contradiction lies in what might be called “cold” versus “hot” environmentalism. The former romanticizes nature as a scenic ideal, while the latter confronts environmental loss with urgency and personal concern. “Cold” environmentalism permits individuals to profess love for the natural world while opposing efforts to protect it—a contradiction at the heart of the anti-environmental stance.

The movement’s flexibility is another defining feature. Reform UK, for instance, has swung between outright climate change denial and more nuanced skepticism. In 2024, then-leader Richard Tice dismissed the notion of human-caused climate change, attributing environmental shifts to natural forces like the sun and volcanoes. Yet later that year, Nigel Farage, upon assuming leadership, said he no longer disputed the science but questioned the fairness and feasibility of international climate targets, often citing China as a laggard.

This rhetorical shift underscores a broader paradox. While Western populists accuse countries like China of environmental inaction, many non-Western nations are experiencing a profound shift in environmental consciousness. In regions such as South Asia and the African Sahel, environmentalism is becoming a form of survivalism amid intensifying climate-related crises like food insecurity and displacement. China, despite ongoing fossil fuel use, is advancing a state-led vision of ecological modernization, positioning itself as an environmental leader on the global stage.

Research is only beginning to grapple with these developments. John Hultgren’s The Smoke and the Spoils explores how US Republicans convinced working-class voters that environmental protection threatens their jobs. Similarly, The Handbook of Anti-Environmentalism documents how environmentalism has been unfairly cast as a pursuit of the elite.

Ironically, while anti-environmental rhetoric often targets non-Western countries, the global environmental movement is increasingly driven by regions outside the West. These contradictions suggest that anti-environmentalism, for all its political noise, may prove unsustainable in the face of public concern and environmental necessity.

Source:https://phys.org/news/2025-05-anti-environmentalism-full-contradictions.html

This is non-financial/medical advice and made using AI so could be wrong.