Many people are
aware of the conservative roots of land conservation movements in the U.S.
Teddy Roosevelt was a famous conservationist. Conservative presidents have also
contributed to the development of our environmental frameworks. Richard Nixon’s
administration started the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and signed the
Clean Air Act, the Clean Water Act, and the Endangered Species Act into law.
George H.W. Bush set aside more public land than any other president. Ronald
Reagan signed more federal wilderness bills into law than anyone. Young
conservative environmentalist Benji Backer notes this legacy in an article ‘The
conservative case for environmentalism’ for the Deseret News, a local paper in
Utah's coal country. Backer is the author of the 2024 book ‘The Conservative
Environmentalist: Common Sense Solutions for a Sustainable Future.’ In a
September 2021 article, ‘The conservative case for environmentalism’, Backer
wrote the following:
“And on a practical level, if Republicans cede questions
about conservation and earth stewardship; about air quality and water; about
public lands and sustainability, then it will be largely Democrats who dominate
the discussion.”
“Everyone wants clean air and fewer emissions; the debate
should center on the optimal avenues to get there. Conservatives can do just
that — and accurately represent these left-behind communities in the process.”
According to Wikipedia
the Conservative Climate Caucus currently consists of 81 Republican members of
the House of Representatives. It was founded in 2021 by Utah Rep John Curtis
(R-Utah). The caucus agreed to pursue the following goal:
"Educate House Republicans on climate policies and
legislation consistent with conservative values"
What exactly that
means is open to interpretation. Its founding is thought to be an
acknowledgment that conservatives need to get on board with climate change
policy of some sort as consensus about its potential impacts has grown. It was
perhaps an acknowledgment that it is getting too difficult to just ignore the
evidence. We do need to do something and what is done should not be controlled
by one party. In one sense its founding is an acknowledgement of the need for a
bipartisan approach. In another sense, it is a play to influence policy by
becoming better educated to inform policy. In yet another sense it is a means
to work against the overly ambitious policy positions of the opposition.
Source: Wikipedia
In the past, I
have written about the need for pragmatism in matters of environment and climate,
but I mostly considered that those on the left needed to be more pragmatic but
those on the right should also be pragmatic. Backer’s subtitle referring to
common sense suggests that he might favor a pragmatic approach. Backer seems to
favor an approach that limits interference and regulation from government agencies.
I think that can be done with some commitment from both sides. If voluntary decarbonization
actions are occurring, there is less need for compliance-based regulations. Favor
the carrots and limit the sticks. It may slow things down but it will be
smoother. Backer notes in his article:
“Threats to the environment are real — we are facing a
dramatic increase in global carbon emissions, our air quality impacted by
wildfires is making the West less hospitable, and droughts are causing immense
water scarcity concerns. As we’ve seen these and many other issues come to
fruition over the past few decades, we’ve learned a lot about the causes. One
of the elephants in the room is the reality that carbon production has
contributed in a negative way to a few of our globe’s severe environmental concerns.”
Thus, there is a serious acknowledgment of understanding the
issues we face. He also argues against vilifying polluting industries, a
counterproductive, unnecessary, and destructive tactic. Backer is also a sportsman,
and many sportsmen are conservationists and environmentalists. Backer founded
the American Conservative Coalition in 2017. In late 2019 he testified before Congress
as the conservative alternative to Greta Thunberg.
A second Trump
term agenda will no doubt include cuts in environmental regulations. He tried
to defang the EPA with Scott Pruitt at the helm. His successor Andrew Wheeler
did not make such big changes and Biden’s Michael Regan has resumed the Obama/Biden
agenda of regulating carbon emissions through mandate. The latest Supreme Court
rulings have done much to defang the EPA in one fell swoop. The EPA has been
relegated to a more ‘non-binding’ role as policy advisors rather than policymakers.
An article in The
Hill by Landon Derentz gives some perspective on why Trump would need to develop
a new climate strategy as things have changed since his first term ended nearly
four years ago. Derentz is
the Atlantic Council’s Morningstar Chair for Global Energy
Security and senior director of the Global Energy Center. He was director for
energy at the White House from April 2018 to November 2019. He says we should
still probably get back out of the Paris Agreement, but as it is a non-binding
agreement and funding is negotiable, I don’t that is necessary at all. It is
non-acceptance of a very solid majority. A conservative climate strategy is
needed writes Derentz:
“Fashioning an international climate strategy isn’t just
a means of contributing to global sustainability goals. It’s also a critical
component of retaining America’s competitiveness across all sectors of the U.S.
economy. In today’s world, far more so than during the first Trump
administration, the failure to develop such an approach would empower U.S.
adversaries and produce unnecessary headwinds for many other U.S. foreign
policy priorities — not the least of which is to counter Chinese influence.”
References:
When
it comes to climate change, the world may be identifying the wrong enemy. Gitanjali
Poonia. Deseret News. June 7, 2024. When it comes to climate change, the
world may be identifying the wrong enemy (msn.com)
The
conservative case for environmentalism. Benji Backer. Deseret News. September
20, 2021. Climate change and conservatives: Why
environmentalism is key | Opinion – Deseret News
No
Paris, no problem? The case for a conservative climate strategy. Landon Derentz.
July 2, 2024. Trump
should pursue a conservative climate strategy (thehill.com)
Conservative
Climate Caucus. Wikipedia. Conservative
Climate Caucus - Wikipedia
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