‘Climate-Soviets,’ ‘Alarmism,’ and ‘Eco-Dictatorship’: The Framing of Climate Change Scepticism by the Populist Radical Right Alternative for Germany

Abstract

This article conducts a case study of the Alternative for Germany (AfD) to explore the link between ideology and climate change scepticism. Employing qualitative data analysis on a sample of texts from the party’s membership magazine, this article studies the AfD’s climate change communications. The goal is twofold: (1) to explore which frames are used by the most visible sceptic voice in Germany; (2) to investigate how sceptic frames reflect the AfD’s populist radical right ideology. Overall, the findings reveal that the AfD frequently connects its climate change scepticism to its host ideologies, especially radical right-wing and free-market ideology. Accordingly, climate change mitigation policies are often attacked because they are claimed to harm Germany’s national interest or economy. In contrast, populism does not play a prominent role. That is the case despite the AfD frequently talking of people-centrism, and the ‘core people’ appear to be at the heart of its framing strategy.

Disclosure Statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Supplemental Data and Research Materials

Supplemental data for this article can be accessed on the Taylor & Francis website, https://doi.org/10.7910/DVN/JF7TKF.

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Anne Küppers

Anne Küppers is a Research Fellow at the Department of Political Science at the University of Jena. She holds a PhD from the University of Bonn. Her current research focuses on climate change scepticism, Covid-19 scepticism, populist radical right-wing parties and attitudes towards democracy.