The entanglement of hard-right politics and #climatechaos is a catastrophe that presents a dire scenario, where each exacerbates the other in a vicious cycle of destruction. As billions of people are displaced by climate disasters, the extreme right capitalizes on their suffering to expand its influence. Conversely, as the extreme right gains power, climate policies are weakened, intensifying environmental degradation and further displacing populations.
The “human climate niche,” the range of conditions within which societies thrive, is shrinking due to global heating. Hundreds of millions are already stranded in inhospitable conditions, with billions more projected to face extreme heat and environmental stress by 2030. The impacts include heat-related deaths, water scarcity, crop failures, and the spread of diseases. As the climate crisis worsens, weather events like floods and hurricanes will devastate vulnerable regions, forcing people to flee or perish.
In the rich world, despite having the means to limit environmental damage, for the last 40 years choices to address climate breakdown have been systematically undermined. Culture war narratives, fuelled by billionaires and commercial interests, distort discussions on environmental policies, portraying even minor changes as threats to freedom. Climate science denial has resurfaced, and scientists and activists face relentless attacks and misinformation campaigns.
As climate impacts intensify globally, displaced people seek refuge in wealthier nations, to be met with growing hostility and xenophobia. Right-wing politicians exploit these crises to further their agendas, shutting down climate policies to protect the interests of oligarchs and fossil fuel industries. The cycle repeats: as governments turn rightward, climate policies are weakened, exacerbating environmental crises and fuelling anti-immigrant sentiment.
The consequences are evident in Europe, where refugees are demonized and subjected to violence, while far-right parties gain power by scapegoating them. This manufactured hatred fuels fascism.
Preventing Earth’s systems collapse and combating the rise of the far right are inseparable tasks. To address these intertwined challenges, concerted action is needed to strengthen grassroots alternatives to promote active social justice, and resist the spread of fascism. Without such action, the consequences for humanity and the planet will be simply catastrophic.