Carbon Populism and Representative Politics: On Why Fossil Fuel Firms Speaking for ‘The People’ Is a Bad Idea

Abstract Despite growing recognition that countries around the world must transition to a low‐carbon economy, global greenhouse gas emissions continue to rise. One way that decarbonization has been obstructed, we argue, is by fossil fuel firms intentionally conflating their agenda with ‘the people’, evoking notions of national identity, security and prosperity. We develop the concept of carbon populism to explain why big oil, coal and gas firms make representative claims typically associated with democratically elected governments. This adds a significant layer of difficulty for stakeholders endeavouring to enact decarbonization. Drawing on an in‐depth study of fossil fuel industries in Australia (mainly coal and gas), we demonstrate how different forms of political representation in the public and political spheres influence national identity, expert knowledge and public policy. These artificial forms of representation legitimize fossil fuel industries' political activities, authorize public policies that benefit it, and enable the industry to enjoy national dominance. We conclude by arguing that decarbonization can be achieved by rejecting carbon populism in favour of inclusive and participatory democratic representation.