'Pretending that environmental protection is just a concern for hipsters means leaving the working class to their fate'

I

n many countries, right-wing populist movements are on the rise. Everywhere, they undermine environmental protection policies, accusing them of "making people's lives impossible" for benefits that are described as distant and uncertain.

These populist movements target wealthy city dwellers who ride bikes, eat vegan, and criticize old polluting cars and what they see as the outdated lifestyles of suburban and rural residents. By tapping into the sense of humiliation triggered by this social contempt, these movements reject all ecological initiatives outright.

Indeed, the working-class population is sometimes the first to suffer from such initiatives. Public authorities have repeatedly demanded proportionally greater efforts from them than from the more affluent, even though they actually pollute more. This is unacceptable. But it is also crucial to realize that the real losers from the deterioration of natural environments are not the most privileged, but in fact working-class communities, and especially the poorest among them.

Subscribers only