Vol. 17 No. 33 (2026): Precarious dwelling. Everyday practices, caring relations, and meaning-making processes
Special Issue: Climate Change and Far-right Politics: Between Adoption and Adaptation

Far-right Climate Skepticism Across Europe: The Transnationalization of Narratives?

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  • Manuela Caiani,
  • Nicolò Pennucci
Manuela Caiani
Scuola Normale Superiore, Italy
Nicolò Pennucci
Université de Namur, Belgium
DOI: https://doi.org/10.36253/smp-16838

Published 2026-08-04

Keywords

  • far-right,
  • climate skepticism,
  • environmental discourse,
  • transnationalisation,
  • social media

How to Cite

Caiani, M., & Pennucci, N. (2026). Far-right Climate Skepticism Across Europe: The Transnationalization of Narratives?. SocietàMutamentoPolitica, 17(33), 169–182. https://doi.org/10.36253/smp-16838

Copyright (c) 2026 Manuela Caiani, Nicolò Pennucci

Creative Commons License

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.

Abstract

This article explores the evolving relationship between radical right actors and environmental issues in Europe, focusing on whether a transnational environmental politics is emerging within the radical right beyond the traditional stance of denialism. Through a quantitative text analysis (Topic Model and Dictionary Based Content Analysis) of Facebook data (77116 posts) from political parties, social movements, and leaders across seven European countries (138 actors from Italy, France, the United Kingdom, Austria, Hungary, Poland, and the Czech Republic), we aim to identify the frames and narratives used by radical right actors to discuss environmental issues. The study is guided by two central research questions: (a) How do political ideologies along the classic right – left axis influence the framing and positioning of environmental issues among radical right actors in Europe? (b) Are there more similarities or differences across these actors, and are there indications of cross – border alignment? Building on these inquiries, we investigate whether radical right actors are increasingly adopting an environmentalist position, distinct from denialism, to articulate a climate ideology rooted in far-right values such as nationalism, identity preservation, and anti – globalism. By identifying shared frames and narratives, our study seeks to uncover potential patterns of transnationalization in radical right environmental discourses, shedding light on the interplay between ideological evolution and strategic positioning in response to environmental challenges. This study provides both an empirical contribution and a typological – analytical perspective, offering a more comprehensive understanding of how radical right actors currently discuss and frame environmental issues.

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