Young conservatives urge GOP to leave a climate legacy
Danielle Butcher Franz
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Republican presidential candidates, ready to test their mettle, will take center stage for their inaugural debate of the election cycle Wednesday night. However, amid the familiar buzz of political discourse, something new has emerged.
For the first time, an environmental organization, the American Conservation Coalition, stands as a headline sponsor of the Milwaukee 2024 Host Committee’s official debate afterparty, underscoring the immense strides made by conservative environmentalists in recent years, reigniting the very conservation ethos that once fueled the Republican Party’s core principles.
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When I began my career in advocacy, conservative and environmentalist were not two words often associated with each other, but young conservatives knew that it didn’t have to be that way. Since our organization’s founding and the bolstering of the larger “Eco-Right” movement, there has been an undeniable shift in Republican attitudes toward climate, energy, and environmental issues.
The Conservative Climate Caucus is the fourth-largest Republican caucus in the House of Representatives, with more than 80 members. States such as Texas are leading the charge in deploying reliable wind and solar energy, and under Gov. Brian Kemp’s leadership, Georgia is home to the United States’s newest nuclear reactor. Gone are the days when seeing Republicans at the forefront of climate concern raised eyebrows. Instead, Republicans have endorsed solutions such as removing burdens on critical energy projects, conservation practices that reduce emissions, and advancing clean nuclear power.
Conservatives leading this charge know there is not a silver bullet on this issue and that the conservative climate approach is inherently different than the progressive approach. Rather than advocating for a monolithic solution, conservative voices each come to the table with something unique to offer.
Yet, in 2022, only 41% of voters under 30 thought Republicans cared about climate change, compared to 73% agreeing that they should. Within the party itself, 70% of young Republicans are concerned about climate change. It’s clear that the Republican Party has a messaging problem. For those of us deeply enmeshed in this space, it’s evident that conservatives have experienced a climate renaissance, but that’s simply not the case for the average American. They don’t follow caucus formations in the House of Representatives or read beyond the flashy headlines of fringe Republicans belittling the climate issue altogether.
Our movement has a lot of work to do to expand conservative climate communications beyond the D.C. Beltway and into American communities across the country.
And so, to the Republican presidential candidates poised to engage in this debate, we urge you to seize this opportunity to leave a climate legacy. Recognize that young voices hold significance not only for the future but also as active contributors to the present. Embrace your leadership roles in the party as candidates who acknowledge and tackle climate challenges head-on, not with dogma, but with pragmatism and vision.
The truth is, the Republican Party is further ahead on climate than many perceive, and it’s the responsibility of all serious presidential candidates to recognize that the best path forward lies not in retracing old footsteps but in amplifying the chorus of voices within party ranks discussing energy and environment. With mainstream Republicans so actively championing climate, energy, and environmental issues, we are no longer merely charting the party’s future; we are fortifying its present.
With the millennial generation now the largest voting bloc and Gen Z on their heels, it’s more important now than ever to recognize these voters are not some remote challenge to unravel in the distant future. Young voters are, instead, formidable architects of our current political landscape. This fact underscores the significance of conservative environmentalists prominently represented on the grand stage of GOP politics.
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A Republican candidate will not prevail over President Joe Biden if he or she cannot articulate an optimistic, effective plan to tackle climate change and conserve our natural heritage. Biden’s administration has worked hard to position him as the “climate president.” The next Republican nominee should not scoff at this; he or she must challenge it.
Danielle Butcher Franz serves as CEO of the American Conservation Coalition Action. Follow her on Twitter at @DaniSButcher.