By: Maya W.
What is Ecofascism?
Environmentalism in recent decades has become increasingly partisan, and in an age where it seems no issue can be thought of as bipartisan, environmentalism and concerns over climate change have been adopted by the left. A stereotypical environmentalist is a reusable bag toting, organic cotton swearing, city dweller, who frequents farmer’s markets and eats vegan. Most things are seemingly markers of a fairly lefty middle class person. While they’re just stereotypes, some ring true (I have yet to find an environmentalist who doesn’t have a tote bag collection). Yet, there are people who have all of the trappings of this stereotypical environmentalist and identify themselves as such, but they also identify as something else, members of the radical right. You read that correctly, the far-right has gone green. These eco-conscious white supremacists are often called eco-fascists and their talking-points are being used to attract people who care about the environment into far-right extremism.
So what exactly is an eco-fascist and what views do they hold? Unfortunately, there’s quite a lot of diversity in the conspiracy theories and beliefs that eco-fascists hold. Generally, what you’ll find in eco-fascist circles is talk of overpopulation, deep ecology, the white working class, and general rejection of human rights for racial and ethnic minorities. The modern eco-fascist generally subscribes to ideologies that blame the demise of the environment on racial and ethnic minorities such as immigrants and Jews. Some eco-fascists subscribe to the belief that overpopulation and immigration are destroying the planet and this could be partly remedied through the mass murder of refugees in Western countries. Others subscribe to the belief that consumerism in the West is to blame for environmental degradation and is caused by Jewish elites. To an eco-fascist environmental purification is synonymous with racial purification and Whiteness.
Brief history of eco-fascism
So where did all of these eco-racist ideas start? There is a long and complex history to eco-fascist ideas, many scholars and historians trace eco-fascism as we know it today back to Nazi Germany, this is one of the first times eco-fascist ideas began to circulate internationally. Those who adhered to Nazism often thought of these eco-fascist ideas as a foundation to their White identity. Environmentalism for them was linked with the purity of the Aryan identity. They believe that nature's laws insisted on the unification and preservation of the Aryan race and that nature's laws ordained the white race at the top of the racial hierarchy. White people were thought to be the preservationists and protectors of earth and its natural resources against racial and ethnic minorities. The “Blood and Soil” nazi slogan is an example of the ties between White identity and the earth.
Today’s far-right extremists continue to emphasize and believe in this relationship between race and nature. The link remains a critical part of white nationalist identity, and is particularly important to narratives that paint white identity as something endangered that needs to be protected. White nationalists and other far-right extremists understand their connection to the earth to be endangered. To them, the white race is on the verge of extinction and the racial hierarchy they believe to be ordained by God and nature is endangered as well. They use these beliefs and this rhetoric about the extinction and victimization of their white identities to justify political, economic, and social persecution of minority groups and in the worst historical and present day examples, even genocide.
How to Combat Eco-fascism
After reading this, you may be curious about what you can do to stamp out eco-fascist ideas. First, I would suggest investigating more about this movement to understand the talking-points and beliefs of eco-fascists in order to combat it. Common talking points such as overpopulation or the “Humans are the virus, the pandemic is the cure” rhetoric are often seemingly harmless, but they have a more sinister meaning when you think deeply about what it means to believe that overpopulation and humans (and specifically minorities) are to blame for climate change learning to identify eco-fascism and learning more deeply about it, however uncomfortable can help you and others identify the true causes of climate change. It is not humanity itself, but the systems that we live in that make climate change worse.
Discussion Questions:
What eco-fascist language have you heard in environmentalist circles?
How can you combat eco-fascism in your activism?
Citations:
Adler-Bell, S. (2021, October 1). Why white supremacists are hooked on Green Living. The New Republic. Retrieved October 1, 2021, from https://newrepublic.com/article/154971/rise-ecofascism-history-white-nationalism-environmental-preservation-immigration.
Arvin, J. (2021, June 3). The far right is weaponizing climate change to argue against immigration. Vox. Retrieved October 1, 2021, from https://www.vox.com/22456663/arizona-environment-immigration-climate-change-right-wing.