Climate skeptics from the American Hartland Institute, in collaboration with right-wing politicians in Europe, are preparing a campaign against environmental policies, the British Guardian reported.
Members of the European Parliament (EP) have been accused of "rolling out the red carpet for climate change deniers" by giving them a platform in the European Parliament, with warnings of "reviving grotesque climate change denial".
The Hartland Institute, affiliated with the Donald Trump administration and funded by companies like ExxonMobil and wealthy Republican donors, has taken advantage of the growing opposition to climate action among right-wing movements and established a base in London.
For the past two years, representatives of the institute have been working with MEPs and speaking in the European Parliament to oppose legislation such as the Nature Restoration Act. They have sought to challenge established climate change science and have brought together climate skeptics among MEPs from Poland, Hungary and Austria to coordinate campaigns against proposed environmental laws.
Hartland is known for his extreme and inaccurate comments about climate change. He has previously compared people who believe in global warming to the Unabomber, an American terrorist, and labeled human-caused climate change as "fake news."
The Guardian writes that the organization allegedly first established ties with right-wing lawmakers in February 2023, when Austrian right-wingers Harald Wilimski and Roman Haider of the Freedom Party (FPÖ) attended the Heartland international climate change conference in Orlando, Florida.
A few months later, the duo visited the institute's offices, asking for help in combating "climate alarmism." Heartland President James Taylor was invited to speak at the European Parliament the following March at the invitation of the two MEPs, where he established contacts with Hungarian politicians to discuss climate policies. Later that month, a vote on the nature restoration law was postponed after Hungary withdrew its support, although the law was finally passed in June.
In September 2024, Vilimski was the guest of honor at the 40th anniversary of Heartland in Chicago, which was attended by British right-winger Nigel Farage, who later helped launch Heartland's London branch. At the Chicago event, Vilimski called for closer cooperation between Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán and Donald Trump.
In October, Taylor visited Poland at the invitation of the Solidarity trade union, which is fighting against the closure of coal mines. There, he met with former Prime Minister Beata Szydło, leaders of heavy industry and scientists, where he gave a presentation that cast doubt on the science of climate change. Hartland and Solidarity subsequently signed a joint declaration arguing that measures to combat the climate crisis were aimed at "scare-mongering, without scientific evidence".
With the establishment of a base in London, the institute praised its influence in Europe in a December newsletter, stating that their efforts had contributed to the postponement or modification of energy taxes and climate policies in the EU.
Green MEPs are warning about the institute's growing influence in Europe. Austrian MEP Lena Schilling said that "the FPÖ has rolled out the red carpet for climate change deniers who are trying to undermine EU legislation and accelerate the destruction of our planet." German MEP Daniel Freund added that the alliance between climate change deniers and the far right is taking on "the characteristics of a sect."
Kenneth Harr of the Corporate Europe Observatory expressed concern about the institute's presence in Europe, warning of a revival of climate change denial at a time when corporate lobbies are already fighting climate policies.
A Solidarity spokesman said the union rejects "climate hysteria" but does not consider itself climate change deniers. The European Parliament has stressed the freedom of its members' mandates, provided that the events they organize do not tarnish the parliament's reputation.
Bonus video:
