The rise of eco-paramilitarism in the United States

Amidst growing military response to climate challenges, the United States is seeing a rise in far-right ecologism and right-wing environmentalism. In this paper, I argue that due to this rise, the United States is experiencing a convergence of the two extremist ideologies. I call this convergence eco-paramilitarism. I define eco-paramilitarism as a subgroup of far-right militarized ecologists, rooted in right-wing ideologies like völkisch, who inform their strategies through mirroring the actions of the US military and law enforcement agencies against political dissenters and marginalized groups. Throughout the paper, I examine the link between the manosphere, incels, and far-right content on social media rooted in environmental concerns that help facilitate radicalizing younger and impressionable men. I use the United States as a case study to demonstrate a global trend in the rise of militarism in response to climate challenges and rising populism. This paper aims to highlight the increase in these organizations amidst intensifying climate change impacts and growing populism worldwide and contribute to the ongoing research on political responses to climate change and their ethical implications.