Essay from the year 2017 in the subject Politics - International Politics - Environmental Policy, grade: 1st, University of Manchester, language: English, abstract: 2016 will be remembered as the year in which populism once more became a powerful political force. Although the election of Donald Trump and the Brexit referendum were undoubtedly the stand out political events of this year, the rise of populist parties across Europe demonstrate that this political shift is not limited to the Anglosphere. This rise in populism serves as a reflection of the public's anger and disillusionment with mainstream political parties, and the railings of populists against the 'metropolitan elite' resonate within countries facing an ever increasing disparity in wealth. The politicised nature of climate change means that the election of these populists will inevitably hinder climate policy, as Giddens warns of in his book 'Politics and Climate Change', because governments may attempt to appease this growing faction by reducing action on climate change.