Fear of ousted populists could be enough to stall climate policy in Poland

(Clean Energy Wire, 17 Apr 2024) The election victory of the pro-EU coalition led by former European Council president Donald Tusk in late 2023 stirred high hopes for the start of serious climate policies in Poland after an eight-year lull during the rule of the right-wing populist Law and Justice party.

But disenchantment has already started to spread, as researchers see the government shying away from ambitious action due to fear of a backlash driving voters back into the arms of the populist party. Experts argue the government can still make rapid progress if it manages to repackage climate policies to showcase the benefits for people feeling left behind.

A “victory over populism” – this is how Poland’s election results were celebrated in Brussels and beyond at the end of last year. The parties in the government coalition formed by former European Council president Donald Tusk shared a pro-Europe stance and were heavily critical of the populist, right-wing Law and Justice party (PiS) that had ruled Poland since 2015. Many voters, experts and civil society also took the arrival of ambitious climate action and environmental protection as a given, following neglect or even obstruction by PiS.

But the new government’s first few months in office have already dashed many of these hopes. Tusk shocked many activists by not only opposing the EU Nature Restoration Law, but also dithering over ambitious EU emission-cutting targets, and even rolling back the previous government’s plans for a tax on polluting cars. How could it have come to this?

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Clean Energy Wire, 17 Apr 2024: Fear of ousted populists could be enough to stall climate policy in Poland