Has neoliberalism undermined climate action?

Germany's 2025 federal election saw the far-right Alternative für Deutschland (AfD) double its support to 20.8%, becoming the second largest party, while the Green Party fell from 14.8% to 11.6%. The AfD denies climate science and opposes environmental policies on economic grounds. 

This week, Alasdair interviews academic Felix Schulz, whose recent research has examined public attitudes toward climate policy across six countries - three in the global north and three in the global south.  

The research found that core values – particularly those derived from neoliberalism and free-market ideology – are more effective than socioeconomic factors in indicating how people will respond to climate policies.  

Felix and Alasdair discuss how neoliberal thinking has shaped public opinion, why climate policy must integrate social and economic considerations, and how job security concerns in industrial roles affect political support for climate action. 

Felix Schulz is a postdoctoral research fellow at Lund University researching public opinion and climate policy.  

Further reading:  

• Why focusing on “climate change denial” is counterproductive, 2023,  Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences 
• People with neoliberal views are less likely to support climate-friendly policies, 2025, The Conversation 
• Public support for climate policies and its ideological predictors across countries of the Global North and Global South, 2025, Ecological Economics 
• Navigating sustainable futures: The role of terminal and instrumental values, 2024, Ecological Economics 
• German elections: why most political parties aren’t talking about the climate crisis, 2025,   The Conversation 

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