The Allure of Fascism
Climate Crisis, Authoritarianism, and the New Capitalist Order
Read time: Approx 5 mins
We are living in a time of relentless unraveling, where the lines between environmental catastrophe, political collapse, and social fracture are increasingly blurred. Every year, cities are scorched by heatwaves that seem to come earlier and last longer, while the oceans inch closer to swallowing the coastlines. Wildfires no longer surprise us. They rage with predictable fury, fueled by the changing climate that we have failed to confront head-on. The air we breathe is hotter, thicker, and more toxic, a grim reminder of the planet's growing distress. Yet despite the increasingly urgent warnings of scientists and environmental activists, fossil fuel production continues to rise year after year, business as usual. This is a deliberate signal that we are on the brink of something far darker than we could have anticipated.
This is not merely environmental degradation or political dysfunction. We are witnessing the emergence of a new, more insidious form of fascism, tailored to the anxieties and vulnerabilities of the 21st century. To understand this development, we need to look beyond the caricature of fascism (the swastikas and the goose-stepping soldiers) and recognize that fascism today comes dressed in a business suit, a flag pin, and perhaps, a red "Make America Great Again" hat. It arrives not as a bolt from the blue but as a process—gradual, calculated, and deeply intertwined with the failures of our political and economic systems.
Fascism, historically, has been born out of crises—political, economic, or societal. It thrives in moments when the old order no longer seems capable of resolving the problems facing society. When people's identities and livelihoods are threatened, they become fearful…ripe for a message that promises stability, national pride, and an easy scapegoat. The appeal of fascism lies in its simplicity. It's a story that paints a clear picture: a glorious past lost, a nation weakened by foreign influence, and a political class that has betrayed its people. It’s a seductive narrative because it doesn’t require us to grapple with the complex realities of our world. It simplifies everything into a battle of good versus evil.
In the context of modern America, Donald Trump is not the cause of this crisis. He is its symptom…a glaring indication that the body politic is deeply ill and rapidly deteriorating. Trumpism doesn't spring from the genius of one man, rather it’s a manifestation of a much deeper rot. His rise is the product of years of economic instability, racial tension, and ideological manipulation by the very elites who benefit from the status quo. Trump is the personification of fossil capitalism’s death throes. But his role is not unique. He is a prototype, the first of what will likely be many leaders like him…demagogues who tap into the growing fears, frustrations, and anxieties of the populace, using climate collapse, economic dislocation, and racial divisions as fuel for a broader authoritarian project.
Unlike the fascism of Nazi Germany or Mussolini's Italy, the brand of fascism emerging in America today has been supercharged by the rapid spread of disinformation and the creation of echo chambers that allow radical ideologies to flourish unchecked. In the 1930s, fascist movements like the Nazis used state-controlled media to spread their messages of hate and nationalism. Today, tech billionaires, AI, and social media platforms are doing much the same, except they are privatized and far more sophisticated in their reach. Facebook, X, YouTube, and other platforms have become digital megaphones that amplify division, feeding the masses an endless diet of fear, conspiracy, and hatred. These platforms were designed to addict and manipulate their audience, pulling them deeper into ideological spirals that erode critical thinking and civil discourse. The result is a nation more hypnotized by spectacle than ever before, more vulnerable to the promises of strongmen offering simplistic solutions to complex problems.
This fascism is not confined to political ideology…it is deeply intertwined with the capitalist system that has birthed it. The fossil fuel industry is at the heart of this new authoritarianism, as the powerful forces that profit from environmental destruction seek to preserve their wealth and influence. “Fossil fascism,” as we might call it, emerges in response to the growing climate crisis. But instead of addressing the root causes of that crisis (greedy, unchecked corporate capitalism), it blames outsiders. It vilifies immigrants, refugees, and minorities, casting them as the "other" responsible for the nation's decline. The fossil fuel industry has long been the backbone of capitalist expansion, but now it finds itself cornered by the irreversible damage it has caused to the planet. So, instead of seeking transformation, the fossil capitalist elite are pouring resources into supporting far-right political movements that can protect their interests—profits, infrastructure, and the status quo.
The eco-fascism that has also begun to rise in parallel is equally disturbing, though it operates under a different guise. Rather than denying climate change outright, eco-fascism acknowledges the environmental crisis but uses it as a rationale for violent nationalism. The environment becomes the pretext for defending racial purity, a twisted narrative in which climate change is blamed on immigrants or political enemies rather than the corporations that are actively causing it. This is a politics that combines ultra-nationalism with a shallow, exploitative form of environmentalism. Eco-fascists seek to preserve the land and the nation, but not through systemic environmental reform. Rather, they advocate for restricting immigration, purging the nation of perceived racial and cultural "impurities," and promoting a brutal, exclusionary form of conservationism.
In this new, more dangerous landscape, fascism rises from the very system that has been driving us toward climate collapse and political fracture in the first place. We must look at the crises surrounding us…climate disasters, economic inequality, racial injustice…and understand that these are not separate problems, but interwoven threads in the same fraying tapestry. Capitalism has always required expansion: more land, more resources, more labor. But the planet has limits, and we’re hitting them. As the systems we depend on begin to collapse under the weight of their own contradictions, those in power will not accept change. Instead, they will fight to maintain their dominance by using force, fear, and deception.
This is why the rise of authoritarianism isn't some passing political aberration. It's the natural outcome of a system that thrives on exploitation and crisis. Liberal capitalism, with all its promises of incremental progress and reforms, cannot withstand the oncoming wave of fascism. Every time we turn to more moral platitudes, more compromise, or more centrist policies, we fail to address the underlying problem: the capitalist machine that benefits from division, destruction, and exploitation.
What is needed now is more than liberal reform. We need a radical break. We need environmentally-conscious socialism….”eco-socialism.” An economic and political system that dismantles the power of fossil capital and places decision-making back in the hands of the people. This means building movements that are rooted in working-class power, across all races, genders, and nationalities. It means a future where the economy is not based on profit but on the needs of communities and the planet. A future where national borders dissolve and we come together as a global collective to fight the real enemy at the top of the hierarchical ladder.
Trump is not the final word. He is merely the beginning. If we don’t confront the root causes of the crisis, we will only see more Trumps in the future, each one more dangerous, more cunning, and more adept at using the tools of social media and technology to further their authoritarian agenda. The time for polite debate is over. The world is changing, and the question is whether we will allow this dark turn in history to continue or whether we will act to forge a new path…a better path that centers solidarity, resilience, and ecological justice.
Fascism is knocking at the door, and climate collapse is kicking it down. The future is being shaped in real-time. Who do we want writing our story? And what level of sh*tshow are we willing to pass on to the next generation?
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