Climate change as identity politics

The Swedish Institute of International Affairs (UI) held a roundtable on climate change denialism, right-wing nationalism and gender with Annica Kronsell, Martin Hultman and Daniel Poohl. The political polarization on climate change thrives in the current wave of right-wing populism and “post-truth” politics. Climate change is not only a grave problem and a source of disagreements, but also a site and a stage where existing social cleavages, meanings, identities, and priorities are regularly being performed. In this context, climate change is linked to various other antipathies and agendas, well-known examples are politicization of climate science, a “post-truth” hostility to expertise; hostility to regulation and the political elite; a favoring of traditional masculine industries and labor; white supremacism and nationalism; and in the US: fears of other states’ rise and of American decline; and opposition to “all things Obama”. This roundtable brings together academics and practitioners to explore the increased political polarization of climate change from a variety of perspectives. Speakers: Annica Kronsell, Professor at the School of Global Studies, University of Gothenburg Martin Hultman, Associate Professor in science-, technology- and environmental studies at the Department of Technology Management and Economic, Chalmers. Daniel Poohl, Editor-in-Chief and CEO, Expo Moderator: Gunilla Reischl, Senior Research Fellow and Head of the Global Politics and Security Programme, the Swedish Institute of International Affairs. We welcomed academics as well as NGOs, activists, policymakers and others with an interest in these questions to come and listen and participate in the discussion. The seminar is enabled by the financial support of SIDA through Forum Syd.