Climate activist warns far-right movements are derailing efforts to address climate change
Extreme weather events, instead of uniting support for climate action, are fueling conspiracy theories and far-right resistance to addressing global heating, warns Fridays for Future Germany activist Luisa Neubauer.
Ajit Niranjan reports for The Guardian.
In short:
- Luisa Neubauer, a Fridays for Future organizer, expressed concern that extreme weather disasters are being exploited by climate deniers and far-right movements around the world to undermine climate policies.
- Public and political support for climate action in Germany has waned, with far-right parties using disinformation to discredit green initiatives and activists.
- Neubauer emphasized the need for climate activism to defend democracy and truth against growing misinformation campaigns.
Key quote:
“It’s no longer green technologies that are the issue, but the fight for democracy and truth. If there’s no shared reality in which we operate, it will be impossible to move forward with the climate transition.”
— Luisa Neubauer, Fridays for Future Germany
Why this matters:
Efforts to address the climate crisis are increasingly stymied by a parallel phenomenon: the rise of climate disinformation campaigns. Fueled by well-funded interest groups and amplified by far-right movements, these campaigns aim to undermine trust in climate science and delay action on policies aimed at curbing greenhouse gas emissions. Conspiracy theories — ranging from claims that climate change is a hoax to accusations that environmental policies are a cover for government overreach — are weaponized to create confusion and stoke opposition.
