Far right political movements are rising and seizing power in many influential countries, affecting not only the governance of democratic regimes but also the science-policy relationship and the global environmental agenda. Here we disentangle the roots of such 'far right insurgency' and discuss the implications for ecological economics as a field. We propose that in order to be able to understand and address this phenomenon, ecological economists should devote attention to analyse how the evolution of value systems (including environmental values) is related to the profile and governance of contemporary global capitalism. By means of developing a relevant research agenda, ecological economics could contribute to support academically the creation of a 'politics of hope', in response to the 'politics of fear' on which emerging authoritarian regimes rely.