Right wing populism in a time of climate change A critical discourse analysis about climate change communication of political actors and its further implication

Over the last decades, the rise of the far right and populist movements in Europe and its resulting impact on liberal democracies and party politics have been subject to a vivid debate among researchers. In addition, researches, the public and politics intensively discussed the current environmental crisis (air and water pollution, climate change, etc.). While both subjects have been analyzed on their own, this study focuses on their nexus. Existing research highlights that many right-wing populist parties (RWPs) show in one way or another denial towards (anthropogenic) climate change. To understand this denial but especially its possible impact on climate change mitigation, I analyze how RWPs of Germany, Spain, and Austria frame the issue of climate change in their mainstream politics. Secondly, even though public support for such political parties and movements is growing, research also agrees that in particular the mainstream parties (mostly the big parties left and right of the political center) influence the public discourse as well as policy making and therefore it is central to understand possible (inter)relations of RWPs and mainstream parties in the climate change discourse. Thus, the second part of this research project concentrated on the development of the concept of climate change in the communication of mainstream parties. In a first step, drawing on the methodological apparatus of the discourse-historical approach in critical discourse studies, I study how, when and in which context RWPs use the climate change discourse. In a second step, in the light of the literature on party competition and applying a discourse conceptual analysis, I examine possible correlations of a climate change-skeptical communication of RWPs and a possible change of the climate change discourse of established parties right and left of the political center. This analysis will center on the development of discourses in the context of climate issues over a longer period of time. Specifically, I compare various documents over time (2016-2020) to study climate change discourses of various political parties in three European countries. Results show that the national relevant RWPs increase their communication on climate change when its salience in society increases. Moreover, RWPs typically deny anthropogenic climate change and expresses concern about climate protection policies. Furthermore, the analysis reveals whether established parties show a discourse shift in their communication and their framing of climate change after RWPs take up the issue and express skepticism towards climate change and corresponding policies. This research project shows how important it is to investigate certain actors and their communication or discourses as well as to understand the processes and possible relations behind them to comprehend and influence policy framing and decision-making processes. In fact, I would like to go one step further in this research. Further implications for international climate change mitigation or in other words, the impact of climate change denial on the culture of environmental protection of national but also international entities remain open. Here, I would encourage discussions on both the methodological approach and thematic-similar topics that would certainly be relevant to the workshop focus.