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Environmental issues have become a major arena of political conflict in contemporary democracies. Climate change, the ecological transition, and environmental protection, once often framed as matters of broad public concern, are increasingly embedded in partisan competition, ideological divides, and broader dynamics of electoral polarisation. This panel examines how environmental issues are both shaped by and contribute to such dynamics in European democracies and beyond. The panel brings together research exploring the political, emotional, and institutional dimensions of environmental attitudes and climate politics. We welcome contributions examining how different political and institutional contexts shape climate attitudes and scepticism, support for green parties, and preferences for climate action. We also invite papers addressing the affective and democratic implications of climate-related emotions, as well as the trade-offs citizens perceive between economic priorities and environmental protection. Taken together, the panel aims to advance our understanding of how environmental issues are becoming intertwined with broader political and electoral divides.