On March 18, 2025, the newly appointed head of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), has taken an aggressive stance against climate policies, referring to them as part of the "sacred grail of climate religion." His remarks align with a broader trend in right-wing rhetoric, where climate action is increasingly framed as an ideological imposition rather than a scientific necessity.
This narrative is not unique to the U.S. In the Netherlands, a similar framing has emerged through the term klimaatreligie (climate religion), a metaphor that portrays climate policies as dogmatic and authoritarian rather than evidence-based. While in my previous research, I explored how environmental activists draw upon religious themes to frame their cause as a moral imperative, this analysis examines a different shift: how critics of climate policy employ religious language to delegitimize environmental action. By tracing the rise of klimaatreligie in Dutch public discourse, we uncover how climate skepticism has been weaponized to reshape political debates, reinforcing ideological divisions and challenging the scientific consensus on climate change.
The Genesis of "Klimaatreligie": A Brief Background
The word cloud above visualizes the most frequently used religiously themed compound terms appearing in climate discourse on Twitter in 2023.The prominence of words like klimaatreligie (climate religion) (2,548 uses), klimaatpaus (climate pope) (1,223 uses), and klimaatkerk (climate church) (371 uses) suggests that climate activism is often framed using religious metaphors. The intertwining of religious language with environmental activism is not entirely new, societies have invoked divine imagery to critique environmental activism, as seen in conservative evangelical movements that dismiss climate policies as "secular dogma" or human overreach into divine will [1]. In the contemporary context, the rise of young activists like Greta Thunberg and high-profile global climate protests have inspired not only environmental hope but also intense ideological backlash. This backlash, particularly in the Netherlands, has materialized in the form of the “climate religion” narrative—a metaphor suggesting that climate activism has adopted the unquestioning faith and dogma of a religion. To understand the evolution of this term in public discourse, I analyzed a dataset of Facebook posts from 2004 to the present, focusing on posts that mention “klimaatreligie.”
From 2004 to 2016, the term was nearly absent, as climate discussions remained within scientific and policy circles without religious framing. Between 2016 and 2019, its usage began to rise, coinciding with global environmental activism spurred by the 2015 Paris Agreement and the emergence of movements like Extinction Rebellion. The period 2019–2021 saw an explosive increase, marking a turning point in how climate activism was framed in public discourse. Since 2021, usage has remained high but fluctuating, often peaking in response to major climatic events, energy crises, and political debates on environmental policies.
If we ask, what caused this surge between 2019 and 2021, the answer lies in the growing influence of right-wing populist actors who effectively weaponized the term climate religion to reshape public discourse on climate activism. Forum voor Democratie (FVD), who frequently use climate religion to frame climate activism as irrational and authoritarian, shared a post with over 2.1 million views, criticizing mainstream political parties like VVD, CDA, D66, and GroenLinks for promoting a “climate religion.”
Similarly, Vlaams Belang and other far-right voices integrate climate religion into broader anti-elite and anti-globalization narratives, portraying climate policies as ideological tools for social control rather than scientifically grounded solutions. Many of these posts also target young activists, particularly Greta Thunberg, framing their passionate advocacy as religious zealotry rather than rational environmental concern.
Another figure we see during 2020’s in this growing trend is Wilders, known for his staunch nationalist and Islamophobic rhetoric, employs climate religion to criticize climate policies as an elitist overreach that undermines democracy. By likening green policies to religious dogma, he argues that they stifle debate and enforce unquestioning obedience, much like the religious institutions he has long opposed. Unlike Christian conservative parties such as the SGP or CDA, which base their policies on religious principles, Wilders belongs to a secular nationalist tradition. Similarly, Thierry Baudet of Forum voor Democratie opposes climate policies through a populist lens but often invokes cultural references to "Judeo-Christian civilization" and "Western heritage," framing environmentalism as a threat to European identity rather than a theological concern.
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Even in a largely secular society, religious language can function as a powerful metaphor. In the Dutch context, the emergence of “climate religion” reflects broader cultural tensions. It suggests that, despite the decline of institutional religion, there remains a deep-seated cultural capacity to use religious imagery as a way of framing ideological conflicts. In 2023, a pivotal election year in the Netherlands, Geert Wilders and the far-right dominated the climate discourse, successfully shifting the narrative from scientific urgency to skepticism and resistance. The rise of hashtags like "#klimaathysterie" (climate hysteria) (41,014 uses), "#klimaatwaanzin" (climate madness) (14,055 uses), and "#klimaathoax" (climate hoax) (9,200 uses) in social media discussions reflects how Wilders’ PVV and other right-wing actors framed climate policies as elite-driven, irrational, and economically burdensome.
Hashtaganalyse in het klimaatdiscours in 2023
This messaging resonated widely, particularly among voters frustrated by rising energy costs, environmental regulations, and perceived government overreach. The 2023 election results cemented this success, with PVV emerging as the largest party and right-wing populists gaining unprecedented influence. As a key force in the government, Wilders’ rhetoric is no longer on the fringes but is now a central influence on Dutch policy discussions, demonstrating the growing traction of the climate religion narrative.
The Implications of the "Klimaatreligie" Narrative
The rise of the climate religion narrative reflects broader shifts in contemporary politics, where populist rhetoric increasingly replaces evidence-based debate. By framing climate policies as dogmatic rather than scientific, right-wing actors shift discussions away from empirical argumentation, fostering emotionally charged and polarized discourse. This rhetoric deepens political divisions, reducing complex environmental challenges to simplistic binaries—faith versus reason, elite versus people—making bipartisan cooperation on climate action even more difficult. Moreover, the narrative serves as a powerful tool for populist mobilization, enabling politicians like Geert Wilders and Thierry Baudet to present themselves as defenders of common sense against an out-of-touch elite.
Economic concerns play a central role here, as right-wing populist actors link climate policies directly to rising energy costs and financial hardship. Viral posts frequently emphasize slogans like “Energiefacturen stijgen jaar na jaar door de klimaatreligie” (“Energy bills rise year after year because of climate religion”), framing environmental policies as elitist impositions that disproportionately burden ordinary citizens. This narrative in the Netherlands is part of a broader international trend, where right-wing populist movements in Europe and the United States similarly frame climate policies as elitist impositions rather than pragmatic solutions. This rhetoric constructs a common enemy, portraying scientists, policymakers, and progressive leaders as an out-of-touch elite forcing quasi-religious environmental dogma onto ordinary citizens. In countries like Germany, France, and the U.S., similar terms—such as "Klimadogma" or "Green New Deal cult"—are used to delegitimize climate action. By simplifying complex climate policies into moral and ideological battles, populist leaders capitalize on public frustration, ensuring that anti-green sentiment remains a potent force in global political discourse.
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The journey of “klimaatreligie” from a barely used term to a defining element of right-wing populist discourse in the Netherlands provides a revealing case study of how language can transform political debates. Through an analysis of posts and engagement trends, we see that this term is not merely a linguistic curiosity but a deliberate rhetorical tool. Used primarily by ultranationalist and secular right-wing populists, “climate religion” serves to delegitimize mainstream climate policies by framing them as a form of irrational, dogmatic belief. Looking ahead, the implications of this discourse are significant. As environmental challenges intensify and political polarization deepens, the conflation of climate activism with a “religious” framework threatens to undermine constructive debate and delay necessary policy interventions. For scholars, policymakers, and activists alike, understanding this linguistic strategy is crucial for developing counter-narratives that engage with diverse perspectives while striving for a constructive and informed climate debate.
References
[1] Veldman, Szasz, and Haluza-DeLay, How the World’s Religions Are Responding to Climate Change.
The Sacred Rhetoric of Power