Despite record heat, climate protection is losing popularity: that’s why the Greens are in crisis across Europe

Green parties are having a hard time in Europe

In most European countries, green parties do not occupy the top positions in political rankings. According to the forecast, only eight percent of citizens in the Netherlands would vote for the Green Party in the November parliamentary elections. In Switzerland, the Greens will lose almost three percent of the vote in October’s elections, according to Tamedia’s election poll. In Germany that is 14 percent, according to the Sunday question for the 2024 elections.

In the Greek elections last May, the Eco-Green Unity alliance received just 0.6 percent of the vote. The French Greens did not receive even three percent of the votes in the 2022 parliamentary elections. And in Spain, only one in three green parties has seats in parliament.

“Making climate change sexy – almost impossible”

Jonathan B. Slapin, researcher at the European Institute of the University of Zurich, also wonders why this is the case. His answer is dry: “The fact that it is warmer in October is not a problem for voters. They have more acute problems.” Rising health insurance premiums. Rising food prices. Rising rents. “Melting glaciers, on the other hand, lose a lot.”

The election themes of green parties across Europe are simply not attractive enough for a majority of voters, Slapin explains. Despite the record heat this year, climate change is still too distant and too abstract for many people. “Of course you can also try to make climate change sexy – but that is almost impossible.”

It is important that the green parties also tackle other social problems and include them in the party program. “They should be seen as a normal center-left party.” The European environmental parties should try to organize their program more broadly, says Slapin. In short: “The Greens must become less green.”