Green Politics

Green politics is a political ideology that aims for the creation of an ecologically sustainable society rooted in environmentalism, social liberalism, and grassroots democracy. It began taking shape in the western world in the 1970s; since then Green parties have developed and established themselves in many countries across the globe, and have achieved some electoral success.

The political term Green, a translation of the German Grün, was coined by die Grünen, a Green party formed in the late 1970s. The term political ecology is sometimes used in Europe and in academic circles, but in the latter has come to represent an interdisciplinary field of study.

Supporters of Green politics, called Greens, share many ideas with the ecology, conservation, environmentalism, feminism, and peace movements. In addition to democracy and ecological issues, green politics is concerned with civil liberties, social justice, nonviolence and tends to support social progressivism. The party's platform is largely considered left in the political spectrum. However, as the 'Green' ideology expanded, there also came into separate existence green movements on the political right in the form of green conservatism and eco-capitalism.

The Green ideology has connections with various other ecocentric political ideologies, including ecosocialism, ecoanarchism, ecofeminism and ecofascism, but to what extent these can be seen as forms of Green politics is a matter of debate.