ABSTRACT
This chapter considers France’s leading right-wing populist party National Rally (Rassemblement National, [RN]) - formerly known as National Front (Front National) - under the leadership of Marine Le Pen until 2022. RN’s prominent presence in French politics and Le Pen’s nearly successful 2017 and 2022 presidential campaigns make it a leading example of Europe’s recent populist surge. For our purposes, it is the representative case of a right-wing populist party that has taken pro-environmental positions - offering a valuable illustration of the variety of positions populists can take toward the environment. The chapter begins by identifying those positions. It then examines RN’s anchoring of those stances in its people-centrism and anti-elitism. The stances became material for RN to project its bifurcated worldview - in ways that were consonant with its ideological ‘home,’ its supporters base, and the economic and political contexts in which RN has operated.
