Imagine Our Future: A speculative design website for raising awareness about far-right environmentalism

Abstract

This dissertation presents the case of eco-fascism a term used by some academics to describe the rising intersection of far-right ideologies with environmental discourse. As the climate crisis worsens, far-right groups which have historically dismissed the existence of it are now incorporating environmental concerns into their philosophies and placing the blame on immigrants and vulnerable people. Through this misattribution, they are able to use environmental action as a cover for their xenophobic, racist, and eugenic ambitions.

Speculative design plays a critical role here, it is used as a tool for visualizing the potential future directions that eco-fascist ideologies may take. The development of this thesis has been supported by both primary and secondary research, with a focus on a analysis of recent literature and thematic analysis of online discourses around the root causes and solutions of climate change. When discussing the key concepts and fallacies that have penetrated public opinion, these discussions frequently attribute the causes of environmental problems to the population increase in the Global South and to immigration to the Global North.

This thesis practical component consised of developing an interactive website called “Imagine Our Future”, that was developed using an speculative design approach. The purpose of this website is to stimulate users to reflect on eco-fascist beliefs and how they can impact the forms society reacts to climate change. To achieve that, a speculative scenario was crafted, seeking to draw attention to the risks of combining environmental protection with discriminatory and repressive ideology.