“Eco-terrorists”: right-wing populist media about “ecologists” and the public opinion on the environmental movement in Poland

ABSTRACT

This article aims to outline the media and thematic framework within which environmentalists were described by the right-wing pro-government media in Poland from 2016 to 2020 and to explain the main ideological conflicts over ecology. On the other hand, the author shows how these conservative stereotypes about the environmental movement affect the opinions of Polish society. The author defends the thesis that the anti-ecological phobias of the right-wing Law and Justice (PiS) government have politicised environmental issues and revived ecological conflicts. The results presented show the importance of cultural, political and spatial dimensions for the development of the environmental movement in Poland.

KEYWORDS:

• Environmental movement
• right-wing populism
• media
• ideology
• civil society

Disclosure statement

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

Additional information

Funding

This research project was supported by the National Science Centre Poland (NCN), under the Grant No.: 2019/33/B/HS6/00139.

Notes on contributors

Piotr Żuk

Piotr Żuk - Professor of Sociology. President of the Institute for Sustainable Development and Renewable Energy Foundation. His main research interests are social movements (ecological, labour, climate), criticism of right-wing populism, analysis of the effects of neoliberal transformation in Eastern Europe, energy policy and energy transition.