Ecofascism

The lexicon of environmental politics contains few terms as problematic as ecofascism, which, although it can refer to specific historic and contemporary streams in environmental thought, is most often employed as a pejorative accusation aimed at one's ideological opponents.

Depending on the intended rhetorical purpose to which it is put, the term ecofascism can refer to the ecological foundations of Germany's National Socialism, radical antihumanist extremism in contemporary environmentalist rhetoric, the use of ecological principles in contemporary movements of the New Right, or as a form of ad hominem attack leveled against environmentalism in general.

The usefulness of ecofascism as a social category is thus rendered problematic, not only by its pejorative usage, but also in the rhetorical use—and abuse—of Nazism as an exemplar of unique evil ...