Green national paradox? How the far right turned Sweden from a (reputed) pioneer of climate mitigation to an obstructor

IF 4.7 1区社会学 Q1 GEOGRAPHY

Political Geography Pub Date : 2025-07-19 DOI:10.1016/j.polgeo.2025.103390

Andreas Malm , Kristoffer Ekberg , Christina Englund , Johanne Tagmose Grønkjær , Martin Charlier , Olivia Medin , Ståle Holgersen

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Abstract

Sweden has swiftly transitioned from being considered a progressive pioneer in climate mitigation to the forefront of late obstruction. The proximate cause was the general elections in 2022, after which the Sweden Democrats (SD) gained authority over the country's climate policies. This paper explores how the far right turned Sweden from a (reputed) pioneer of climate mitigation to an obstructor, and discuss if this transition is also an expression of a ‘green national paradox’. Through interviews with SD members and analysis of political documents, we observe how the SD explicitly and extensively exploits Sweden's progressive image to justify its obstructionist climate agenda. Focusing on energy and transportation policies, our study delves into the SD's perception of Sweden's global climate role and discusses how this is used by the far right in their policies towards climate mitigation.

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绿色国家悖论？极右翼是如何将瑞典从一个（公认的）减缓气候变化的先驱变成一个阻碍者的

瑞典迅速从被认为是减缓气候变化的进步先驱转变为后期阻碍的前沿。直接原因是2022年的大选，之后瑞典民主党（SD）获得了对该国气候政策的权威。本文探讨了极右翼是如何将瑞典从一个（著名的）减缓气候变化的先驱转变为一个阻碍者的，并讨论了这种转变是否也是“绿色国家悖论”的一种表现。通过对瑞典民主党成员的采访和对政治文件的分析，我们观察到瑞典民主党如何明确而广泛地利用瑞典的进步形象来为其阻挠气候议程辩护。以能源和交通政策为重点，我们的研究深入探讨了瑞典民主党对瑞典在全球气候变化中的作用的看法，并讨论了极右翼如何利用这一点制定气候减缓政策。

本文章由计算机程序翻译，如有差异，请以英文原文为准。

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来源期刊

Political Geography Multiple-

CiteScore

6.60

自引率

14.60%

发文量

210

期刊介绍： Political Geography is the flagship journal of political geography and research on the spatial dimensions of politics. The journal brings together leading contributions in its field, promoting international and interdisciplinary communication. Research emphases cover all scales of inquiry and diverse theories, methods, and methodologies.