New Study Explores Solutions to Address Green Backlash

Rapid Summary:

• A phenomenon termed “green backlash” is rising in high-income countries, where environmental policies face opposition driven by economic concerns and cultural mistrust.
• This backlash often benefits right-wing populist parties exploiting the discontent to gain voter support.
• Study data shows that in Europe, regions under right-wing populist governance progress slower on reducing greenhouse emissions and transitioning to renewable energy.
• Economic grievances linked to climate policy include increased costs for individuals (e.g.,parking fees) or fears of job losses due to shifts such as electric vehicle adoption.
• Examples include ontario, Canada, where backlash against wind power construction influenced election outcomes; U.S. counties with automotive workers showed increased support for Donald Trump due to EV-related fears in 2016.
• Research from Nature Climate Change suggests ways to reduce backlash: offering subsidies for green initiatives, ensuring local benefits like jobs or tax revenues earmarked for community projects, and retraining impacted workers.
• Public perception mismatches actual support levels for green policies like EV usage or carbon offset purchases; interaction strategies can help align these perceptions with reality.

image Caption: “Disaffection with climate policies has two root causes: economic and cultural.” (Credit: Alex Ramsay/Alamy)

Indian Opinion Analysis:
Green backlash offers important lessons amidst India’s ongoing push toward lasting practices like EV adoption and renewable energy expansions such as solar power projects under PM Kusum Scheme. While India evinces broad national endorsement on sustainability goals per surveys suggesting robust public support, policymakers should weigh localized apprehensions against overarching aims-a nuanced approach remains critical.Escalating costs from climate directives may alienate vulnerable sectors (e.g., rural farmers reliant petroleum driving tractors whose impact-feasible inclusivity raised forward-looking solutions addressing retraining negotiations). However neutralizing oppositions unlocking-unlocking empowering grassroots-Clause