Green Politics

Green politics, also known as ecopolitics, is a political ideology that seeks to foster an ecologically sustainable society while promoting social justice, nonviolence, civil liberties, and grassroots democracy. Emerging as a distinct political force in the late twentieth century, green politics integrates environmental concerns with broader ethical, social, and economic critiques of industrial society. Although commonly associated with environmentalism, it extends beyond ecological protection to encompass questions of democracy, equality, peace, and long-term responsibility toward future generations.
The ideology began taking coherent political shape in the Western world during the 1970s and has since spread globally through the formation of green parties and movements. These parties have achieved varying degrees of electoral success and, in some cases, have participated in government at local, national, and international levels.

Ideological foundations and worldview

Supporters of green politics typically regard it as more than a conventional political ideology, instead viewing it as part of a broader ethical and philosophical worldview. Its foundations draw from diverse intellectual and cultural traditions, including the values of indigenous societies, which emphasise harmony with nature and long-term stewardship, as well as the ethical teachings of figures such as Mahatma Gandhi, Baruch Spinoza, and Jakob von Uexküll.
A recurring theme in green thought is the principle of intergenerational responsibility, often expressed through the concept of “seven-generation sustainability”, which argues that political and economic decisions should be evaluated in terms of their impact on future generations. This outlook stresses personal moral responsibility alongside collective political action.
Although green politics is a modern movement, concern about environmental degradation predates contemporary environmentalism. Historical records from ancient Rome and China document complaints about air, water, and noise pollution. Philosophical roots can also be traced to Enlightenment thinkers such as Jean-Jacques Rousseau and later writers like Henry David Thoreau, who critiqued industrialisation and advocated closer relationships between humans and nature.

Relationship to environmentalism and allied movements

Green politics emerged from earlier conservation and preservation movements, particularly in Europe and the United States during the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. Organisations such as the Sierra Club, founded in 1892, laid the groundwork for later political mobilisation around environmental issues.
In the twentieth century, green politics synthesised ideas from multiple movements, including the environmental movement, peace movement, feminism, and civil rights activism. As a result, green political platforms typically combine ecological protection with commitments to democracy, nonviolence, social justice, and respect for diversity. Many green parties also advocate decentralisation, localism, and participatory forms of governance.
Green ideology is generally positioned on the left of the political spectrum, although it does not align neatly with traditional left–right distinctions. It has conceptual links with other ecocentric or transformative political theories, such as ecofeminism, ecosocialism, degrowth, and green anarchism, though the extent to which these constitute forms of green politics remains debated. In parallel, distinct right-wing approaches incorporating ecological elements have also developed, including green conservatism and ecocapitalism.

Early political development

The first organised expressions of green politics appeared in the late 1960s and early 1970s. In 1970, a Dutch movement known as the Kabouters, emerging from the Provo countercultural tradition, achieved representation on several municipal councils. Their proposals, known as Groene Plannen (Green Plans), are often regarded as among the earliest examples of environmentalist political programmes at a national level.
The United Tasmania Group, founded in Australia in March 1972, is widely recognised as the world’s first political party explicitly created to address environmental issues. Although it gained only modest electoral support, it inspired the formation of green parties internationally. In the same year, New Zealand’s Values Party became the first nationwide green party to contest parliamentary elections.
In Europe, the PEOPLE Party was founded in the United Kingdom in 1972, while environmental and citizen movements coalesced in West Germany during the late 1970s. These developments marked the transition of environmental activism from protest movements into formal political organisations.

The rise of green parties

The most influential early green party was Alliance 90/The Greens in Germany. Although not the first green party in Europe, it attracted substantial media attention and played a key role in defining green political identity. After contesting the 1979 European Parliament elections, the party articulated the Four Pillars of Green Politics: ecological wisdom, social justice, grassroots democracy, and nonviolence. These principles later became foundational for green parties worldwide.
The German Greens achieved a major breakthrough in the 1983 federal election, winning seats in the Bundestag and establishing green politics as a permanent feature of parliamentary democracy. The term “green” itself was popularised in this context, along with the sunflower symbol that became internationally associated with the movement.

International expansion and governance

From the 1980s onward, green parties spread across Europe, North America, and other regions. In Canada, early green political activity emerged during the 1980 federal election through the Small Party, which focused on anti-nuclear policies. This effort later contributed to the formation of the Green Party of Canada and several provincial green parties.
Green parties gradually moved from opposition politics into positions of governmental responsibility. In Finland, the Green League became the first European green party to enter a national cabinet in 1995. In Germany, the Greens formed a governing coalition with the Social Democratic Party between 1998 and 2005, influencing policies on renewable energy and nuclear power while also facing internal controversy over foreign military involvement.
Latvia marked another milestone when Indulis Emsis, leader of the Green Party, served as prime minister in 2004, becoming the first green politician to lead a national government. His colleague Raimonds Vējonis later became the world’s first green head of state in 2015. Similar advances occurred in regional governments, notably in Baden-Württemberg, where the German Greens became the leading party in the state parliament.

Core principles and values

While green parties vary across countries, several core tenets are widely shared. British green theorist Derek Wall identified four defining pillars, which were later expanded by green organisations in the United States into Ten Key Values. These include ecological sustainability, social justice, participatory democracy, nonviolence, respect for diversity, global responsibility, and a long-term focus on future generations.
In 2001, the formation of the Global Greens provided an international framework for cooperation. The Global Greens Charter articulated six guiding principles: ecological wisdom, social justice, participatory democracy, nonviolence, sustainability, and respect for diversity. These principles serve as a common reference point for green parties and movements worldwide.