The European Union faces increasing political and economic resistance to its ambitious Green Deal climate policies, with rising climate scepticism fueled by disinformation campaigns, primarily by Russia, fossil fuel interests, libertarian think tanks, and far-right political parties. These actors spread climate denial, greenwashing, and narratives that climate policies are elitist and economically harmful, aiming to polarize public opinion and disrupt the EU's climate agenda. Russia’s involvement is strategic, seeking to undermine European energy transition and democracy, promoting continued dependency on Russian fossil fuels through disinformation. Meanwhile, far-right parties in several EU countries have gained electoral influence and collaborated on policy rollbacks and opposition to renewables expansion, thereby stalling climate initiatives. The EU is combating these disinformation threats by raising awareness and developing tools, but the scale of the challenge remains large. To maintain momentum, the EU must prioritize a just transition that protects vulnerable populations economically impacted by the green shift, improve public participation in policymaking, emphasize immediate tangible benefits of climate action, and address inequality to prevent societal backlash and political erosion of climate goals.

The European Union faces increasing political and economic resistance to its ambitious Green Deal climate policies, with rising climate scepticism fueled by disinformation campaigns, primarily by Russia, fossil fuel interests, libertarian think tanks, and far-right political parties. These actors spread climate denial, greenwashing, and narratives that climate policies are elitist and economically harmful, aiming to polarize public opinion and disrupt the EU's climate agenda. Russia’s involvement is strategic, seeking to undermine European energy transition and democracy, promoting continued dependency on Russian fossil fuels through disinformation. Meanwhile, far-right parties in several EU countries have gained electoral influence and collaborated on policy rollbacks and opposition to renewables expansion, thereby stalling climate initiatives. The EU is combating these disinformation threats by raising awareness and developing tools, but the scale of the challenge remains large. To maintain momentum, the EU must prioritize a just transition that protects vulnerable populations economically impacted by the green shift, improve public participation in policymaking, emphasize immediate tangible benefits of climate action, and address inequality to prevent societal backlash and political erosion of climate goals.