Climate Alliances, Far-Right Politics, and Networked Power: Reconfiguring Interest Representation in a Fragmenting Europe

Abstract

This panel explores the contested terrain of interest representation in Europe through the intersecting transformations of the climate crisis, rising socio-economic inequalities, and the resurgence of far-right and illiberal politics. This also implies a reflection on identities, networks, and practices within the framework of the climate crisis, as well as on how new political identities are (re)mobilized against this backdrop, such as the case of the farmers' protest in Europe and the attempt to instrumentalize it by far-right forces. As the EU places sustainability and the green transition at the heart of its policy agenda, from the European Green Deal to Fit for 55, new alliances are emerging between corporate actors, grassroots movements, and civil society organizations. Yet these developments unfold amid growing political polarization, the rise of climate skepticism, and nationalist resistance to transnational environmental governance. While some actors embrace the sustainability transition as a vehicle for innovation and social justice, far-right movements and parties increasingly frame green policies as threats to sovereignty, economic security, and traditional ways of life. The climate agenda thus becomes a key site of ideological contestation between globalist and nationalist visions. The far right’s growing use of online networks, disinformation campaigns, and alternative media ecosystems adds a new layer to the EU’s multi-level advocacy landscape, challenging established forms of expertise-based governance. This panel invites contributions that critically examine how climate politics and far-right mobilization intersect to reshape advocacy, representation, and power in the EU. We welcome papers that analyze: • The emergence of coalitions between business, environmental NGOs, and political actors under the banner of sustainability, and how far-right narratives disrupt or exploit these coalitions; • The appropriation or rejection of climate and sustainability discourses by far-right parties and movements at the EU and national levels; • How inequalities in access, expertise, and resources evolve within climate advocacy networks under conditions of polarization and disinformation; • The role of digital mobilization and transnational far-right networks in politicizing environmental issues and delegitimizing EU climate governance; The panel aims to contribute to the study of lobbying, civil society mobilization, populism, and environmental governance. It interrogates how climate change functions as a cross-cutting issue that simultaneously demands cooperation and triggers ideological conflict across the European political landscape. The panel also encourages reflection on how the far right’s growing influence reshapes the meaning of sustainability, the legitimacy of EU governance, and the pursuit of the “common good” in a fragmenting Europe.

Title	Details
European Interest Representation in the Current Era of Uncertainty: The Case of Hydrogen and the Emergence of a New Governance Model	View Paper Details
Farmers Protest in Europe and Climate Change	View Paper Details
Political Orientation and Farmers’ Protests in Germany	View Paper Details
The Climate Cleavage and Protest Politics in Europe: Far-Right Party Responses to Climate Mobilization	View Paper Details