Climate Change Denial and Conspiracy Theories in Political Discourse

Popieranie zmeny klímy a konšpiračné teórie v politickom diskurze

Simona LACIKOVÁ orcid id

https://doi.org/10.53465/JAP.2025.9788022552806.266-281

 

Abstract: This study examines climate change denial and conspiracy narratives in contemporary political discourse, focusing on the populist rhetoric of Slovak politician Rudolf Huliak. Although scientific consensus on anthropogenic climate change is well-established, political communication frequently denies this consensus, often through populist and conspiratorial frames. Key populist narratives identified include elite-driven ideological projects, planned deindustrialization, restrictive eco-dictatorship, and threats to national sovereignty, frequently reinforced by conspiracy theories such as malicious global plots and information control. The qualitative analysis demonstrates how these narratives legitimize opposition to climate policy, foster societal polarization, and mobilize public opinion against environmental regulations. Findings highlight the interplay between populist discourse and conspiracy thinking in shaping public perceptions of climate change and the socio-political resistance to climate action.

Keywords: climate change denial, populist rhetoric, conspiracy theories; environmental policy 

Kľúčové slová: popieranie klimatickej zmeny, populistická rétorika, konšpiračné teórie, en-vironmentálna politika

Fulltext: PDF

Language of the paper: Slovak

Online publication date: 23 December 2025

Pages: 266 – 281

 

ISBN: 978-80-225-5280-6 (online), 978-80-225-5279-0

ISSN: 2729-8973 (online), 2729-8981

Publisher: Bratislava University of Economics and Business, Vydavateľstvo Ekonóm

 

How to cite this conference proceedings paper (APA 7th Edition):

Laciková, S. (2025). Popieranie zmeny klímy a konšpiračné teórie v politickom diskurze. In R. Štefančík (Ed.), Jazyk a politika. Na pomedzí lingvistiky a politológie X (pp. 265–281). Vydavateľstvo Ekonóm. https://doi.org/10.53465/JAP.2025.9788022552806.266-281

 

 

License:

Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.