idw – Informationsdienst Wissenschaft
Nachrichten, Termine, Experten
Nachrichten, Termine, Experten
idw - Informationsdienst
Wissenschaft
Proposals for new wind power infrastructure frequently face opposition in affected communities. While right-wing populists are often among the opponents, the question remains: are they actually driving these protests? A study by researchers of the Research Institute for Sustainability concludes that resistance is more often led by local initiatives and that dissatisfaction with decision-making processes outweighs populist attitudes. To increase public satisfaction, political decision-makers need to take the concerns of the population more seriously. According to the authors of the study, this would prevent right-wing populists from co-opting local initiatives.
“The energy transition enjoys widespread support among the population in Germany. Nevertheless, renewable energy projects often meet with local resistance. Our research aimed to gauge the influence right-wing populists on these protests. After all, at the national level, it is only the AfD and other right-wing populist groups that fundamentally oppose efforts to expand renewables,” explains lead author Jörg Radtke. The researchers conducted in-depth interviews with 36 local stakeholders from politics, local government, and civil society. They also analysed a nationwide survey that compared and linked attitudes towards the energy transition and right-wing populism.
Concerns focus on landscapes, the environment, and health
The conflicts analysed in the study centre on five wind energy projects and two grid expansion projects in six federal states. None of the projects have been completed to date, as they have met with considerable resistance from local citizens' initiatives and supra-regional networks. In all of these cases, right-wing populists, in particular the AfD, sought to co-opt and capture local protests for their causes. However, this was largely unsuccessful, as local initiatives were generally unwilling to collaborate with political parties and had reservations about the AfD in particular. Instead, initiatives focussed on immediate, local concerns, often centred on landscapes and environmental and health issues.
Populist rhetoric is nevertheless omnipresent among opponents of the energy transition projects, according to the study. The core components of classic populism – anti-elitism, anti-pluralism and a focus on the ‘common man’ – manifest in specific ways in the context of the energy transition. Anti-elitism, for example, is evident in widespread resentment toward political and economic elites who are perceived as exploiting energy projects for their own personal gain. Survey data shows that majorities in rural populations believe that they bear the burden of urban energy consumption and that city-dwellers are ignorant of the practical problems of rural life.
Closely tied to anti-elitism is anti-pluralism – the belief in a homogenous national community whose unified will should directly determine the course of the energy transition. “We see this, for example, in our case study from Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania, where citizens are calling for referendums on energy projects and denouncing an alleged ‘sham democracy’ in which their concerns and objections are ignored,” says co-author David Löw-Beer. The demand that the people should take centre stage is also a recurring theme. In this view, ‘the average citizen’ is considered inherently virtuous and their burden of the costs of the energy transition unjust.
,
Politicians must take concerns seriously
According to the researchers, the populist tendencies of local protest initiatives offer considerable potential for right-wing populist actors to establish connections. This potential is heightened by inadequate political responses to such protests – especially when projects proceed unchanged or are stalled by prolonged delays. The researchers advise political decision-makers to take citizens' concerns seriously, particularly in relation to social and environmental justice. Constructive engagement with criticism, meaningful public participation, and genuine consideration of community concerns are essential for enhancing the societal legitimacy and long-term sustainability of energy transition projects.
Dr. Jörg Radtke: joerg.radtke@rifs-potsdam.de
Dr. David Löw-Beer: david.loewbeer@rifs-potsdam.de
Jörg Radtke, David Löw-Beer, Unpacking local energy conflicts: Drivers, narratives, and dynamics of right-wing populism and local resistance to energy transitions in Germany, Energy Strategy Reviews, Volume 61, 2025, 101844, ISSN 2211-467X, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.esr.2025.101844.
Merkmale dieser Pressemitteilung:
Journalisten
Energie, Politik, Umwelt / Ökologie
überregional
Forschungsergebnisse
Englisch
Sie können Suchbegriffe mit und, oder und / oder nicht verknüpfen, z. B. Philo nicht logie.
Verknüpfungen können Sie mit Klammern voneinander trennen, z. B. (Philo nicht logie) oder (Psycho und logie).
Zusammenhängende Worte werden als Wortgruppe gesucht, wenn Sie sie in Anführungsstriche setzen, z. B. „Bundesrepublik Deutschland“.
Die Erweiterte Suche können Sie auch nutzen, ohne Suchbegriffe einzugeben. Sie orientiert sich dann an den Kriterien, die Sie ausgewählt haben (z. B. nach dem Land oder dem Sachgebiet).
Haben Sie in einer Kategorie kein Kriterium ausgewählt, wird die gesamte Kategorie durchsucht (z.B. alle Sachgebiete oder alle Länder).
