Summary
Despite growing global recognition that countries must transition to a low-carbon economy, greenhouse gas emissions continue to rise. Existing research has identified how carbon-intensive industries have historically obstructed emissions regulation through lobbying and political activity. However, in a recently published article in the Journal of Management Studies, we suggest a further major obstacle to decarbonization is the way fossil fuel companies co-opt the language of national identity, security, and prosperity through what we term ‘carbon populism’.
What is ‘Carbon Populism’?
Carbon populism portrays the past, present and future of nation states as inextricably tied to fossil fuel industries like oil, gas, and coal. Through savvy political manoeuvring these fossil fuel companies and their supporters make representative claims typically associated with democratically elected governments. This allows firms to position themselves as the true champions of ‘the people’, making decarbonization efforts all the more difficult.
Shaping National Identity
Our study, based on document analysis and extensive interviews with Australian corporate executives, lobbyists, industry leaders, political representatives (including two former Prime Ministers and a former State Premier), and NGOs, explored how fossil fuel companies shape national identity to legitimize their political agenda and make representative claims.
Fossil fuels have long shaped Australia’s economy, politics, and national identity through coal mining and more recently gas exports. However, over the past two decades, climate change has become a central political issue evident in social movements for meaningful action to reduce carbon emissions and decarbonize the economy. In response, resource companies and their industry associations have sought to limit moves towards carbon emissions regulation through lobbying, party funding, public relations, and political networking. Our research reveals how through these activities, the fossil fuel sector makes a range of representative claims in the both the public and political arenas of Australian society; a form of political activity we term ‘carbon populism’.
In the public sphere this involves industry leaders evoking notions of patriotism and national pride, framing their operations as essential to the country’s prosperity and security. Through media campaigns and manufactured ‘grassroots’ support, resource companies construct a version of ‘the people’ that legitimizes policies favouring continued fossil fuel expansion. In social media, algorithms amplify these narratives, allowing corporate messaging to circulate as if it were the spontaneous voice of ‘the people’. These initiatives, we argue, involved what we termed simulated, symbolic and staged forms of representation. Through simulated representation, the industry presents itself as ‘the people’; in symbolic representation the industry uses media to present itself as acting on behalf of ‘the people’; and in staged representation the industry acts as the media and the people are an audience.
These representative claims also play out in the political sphere, where fossil fuel interests work to validate particular forms of knowledge and authorize public policies that advance their agenda. Through lobbying, campaign donations, and strategic media campaigns, the industry is able to position itself as the expert voice on energy issues, drowning out calls for climate action. Indeed, through ‘revolving door’ appointments in many cases it becomes difficult to distinguish between industry and elected political voices. The fossil fuel industry’s representative claims in the political sphere thus help validate particular forms of knowledge and authorize public policies that advance their commercial interests, despite growing public concern over climate change. These initiatives involved what we have termed surrogate, substitutive and captured forms of representation. Through surrogate representation, the industry acts on behalf of ‘the people’ through its policy proposals; in substitutive representation, the industry provides expertise and acts as a substitute or agent for politicians and bureaucrats; and in capture representation the boundary between industry and politicians disappears and politicians act as the representatives of industry rather than citizens
The Implications for Climate Action and Decarbonization
Carbon populism involves a form of artificial representation that allows the fossil fuel industry to maintain its political dominance, despite growing public concern over a worsening climate crisis. By conflating their commercial interests with the national interest through the representative mechanisms we have identified, these companies have erected a formidable barrier to the urgent transition to a low-carbon economy enlisting the power of the state and media to ensure the continuation of fossil fuel extraction and use.
What to Do?
The way forward, we argue, is to reject carbon populism in favour of more inclusive and participatory democratic representation. This means strengthening citizen engagement in the political process and broadening the range of voices and perspectives that shape public discourse on energy and environmental issues. Examples might include the use of citizens assemblies, referenda and recall elections at local and national levels, as well as the redefinition of social media as genuine people’s platforms to ensure greater pluralism in political decision making. Only by reclaiming democracy from the grip of fossil fuel interests can countries truly chart a course toward a sustainable, low-carbon future. It’s a battle for the future of humanity – and the stakes have never been higher!
