Up in Arms: Environmental Divides Reshaping Politics

Climate politics is facing a backlash. New conflicts are emerging and unresolved dilemmas resurfacing around the costs and opportunities of the green transition. The sourcing of critical materials, the deployment of renewables, the management of climate adaptation, reforms in agriculture and food policy, and contrasting narratives on migration and the future of mobility are just a few of the fault lines dividing societies. This edition sets out to map how these competing visions are reshaping politics locally, in Europe, and around the world.

Articles in this edition

13.06.2023
Divided in Ecology

From national leaders calling for a pause to the European Green Deal to the online Right’s re-invention of the “15-minute city” as an authoritarian project for social control, the signs of an anti-green backlash are growing. Compared to the heady days of the Green Wave, it is clear that green politics in Europe has entered a new phase.

EN
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13.06.2023
Who Pays for a Warming World?

Economist Lucas Chancel explains why the welfare state must be readied for climate change.

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13.06.2023
Yes to Renewables for the Climate

Rosa Martínez Rodríguez spoke with Héctor Tejero about the backlash against renewables in Spain.

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13.06.2023
Nitrogen Wars: How the Netherlands Hit the Limits to Growth

Food expert Jeroen Candel on the farmers’ protests that have reshaped Dutch politics.

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13.06.2023
The Cities Feeling the Heat

Celia Fernández examines the new face of social justice in the summer heat of the European city.

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13.06.2023
Class Politics for the Eco-Anxious

For philosopher Nikolaj Schultz, the fight for a liveable future is the new class struggle.

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13.06.2023
From the Streets to the Institutions 

Edouard Gaudot looks back on the Gilets jaunes to ask how ecology can find its form in popular movements.

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13.06.2023
“If the water disappears, life will disappear” 

Marie-Monique Franssen speaks to the communities at the frontlines of the global lithium frenzy.

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13.06.2023
Serbia’s Lithium: Sacrifice Zones or Opportunity for Europe’s Peripheries? 

Predrag Momčilović asks who will benefit from the extraction of Serbia's bountiful reserves of lithium.

EN
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13.06.2023
Mining for Data: The Extractive Economy Behind AI 

AI specialist Kate Crawford uncovers the earthly underpinnings of the digital realm.

EN
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13.06.2023
“Countries will soon be competing for migrants”: Preparing for Climate Migration 

Journalist Gaia Vince calls for political leadership to pre-empt and manage the great migrations of the 21st century.

EN
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13.06.2023
Climate Scepticism the Russian Way 

The battle for the future of Russia has planetary dimensions, argues Martin Vrba.

EN
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13.06.2023
A Convenient Transition for Europe

With the European Green Deal, the EU falls into a pattern of relations based on exploitation with Africa, risking to further sour relations.

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13.06.2023
Hot Conflicts

When do environmental conflicts turn violent? How are military and environmental conflicts related?

EN
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13.06.2023
Military Emissions Are a Black Box

Armed conflicts and military activities can be highly destructive for the environment.

EN
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13.06.2023
Ghana’s Small-Scale Mining Menace

How the mad rush for precious minerals and gold is sowing seeds of conflict in Ghana.

EN
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13.06.2023
Ukraine’s Resource Curse

The key role of rare earths' exploitation in the war in Ukraine

EN
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13.06.2023
Deep-Sea Mining: A Scandal About to Erupt

The health of the ocean is central in the protection of the planet. But a rushed green light to deep-sea mining can put it at risk.

EN
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13.06.2023
A Fight for Every Job: Decarbonising Europe’s Cars

What will a just transition mean for Europe’s automotive industry amid growing market competition between the EU, the US, and China?

EN
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13.06.2023
Young Activism, Old Politics: Italy’s Divided Climate Movement

On one side, a political party looking for a people. On the other, a people struggling to find a political outlet. In between, an unfolding climate crisis.

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13.06.2023
Ecology: Today’s Battleground

The fight against climate catastrophe brings together many currents of thought, from a more reformist environmentalism to a more radical ecology.

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