The Populist Logic on the Environment

The Populist Logic on the Environment provides a framework that draws from populisms essence to explain populist politicians approaches to the environment. Over the past few decades, populism has spread across the world particularly in Europe, but also notably in the US, South America, and Asia. Its essential features especially its ideological 'thinness' mean that we can observe considerable variations across populists in their environmental stances. This holds across the political spectrum from the left to the right, despite the traditional tendency of right-wing parties to be skeptical of pro-environmental positions and of left-wing parties to subscribe to them. Regardless of variations, however, true populists can be expected to consistently anchor environmental stances in people-centrism and anti-elitism in ways linked to additional party-specific factors. This book systematizes analytically what the literature observes, corrects some of its empirical limitations, and allows for reflection on the commitment by any one populist party to the environment. The authors undertake a cross-regional analysis of four case studies to illustrate their argument: Marine Le Pens National Rally in France, the US Republican Party led by Donald Trump, Spains Podemos led by Pablo Iglesias, and Hugo Chvez and Nicols Maduros socialist regime in Venezuela. This book will appeal to scholars and students of political science, public policy, environmental studies, sociology, and geography, as well as a general audience interested in populism and the environment.