Hey all, if you are in the Chicago area, please take note of this brilliant op-ed by Colorado CCLer Susan Atkinson:
For those who hit the paywall, below is the full text:
Susan Atkinson: Denial of climate change may be a party deal-breaker for young conservatives
Published: Sep 29, 2023 at 5:00 am
Benji Backer, a 25-year-old conservative from Wisconsin, was not pleased with a recent Republican presidential primary debate. The candidates either denied, ignored or downplayed the Fox moderator’s question on climate change.
Backer is not alone in his views. Founder of the American Conservation Coalition, Backer said of his peers: “Young people will never vote for a candidate that does not believe in climate change. We’re not going away; we are normalizing this as part of the Republican conversation. Republicans deserve to lose if they are climate deniers and don’t have a plan.”
Climate change is often seen as an intergenerational issue, with the younger generation expected to bear the brunt of the impacts. The GOP’s failure to articulate an adequate climate policy is alarming 18- to 38-year-old voters. The cost of inaction will have far-reaching consequences. Some young conservatives are concerned that their party’s reluctance to address climate change represents a failure to consider the interests of future generations.
The older conservative generations have broad influence and power over the current climate change narrative, though the time for change is ripe. And the time for climate denial and inaction has passed. The younger conservative generation isn’t buying the old narrative.
Young or old, we can see the escalating impact of drought, crop failure, wildfires, sea level rise and storm damage that will devastate future economic prosperity. The younger generations are coming of age and using their votes, which they demonstrated in record numbers in last year’s midterm election. Their votes could be crucial in swing states in 2024. They know that the problem is real, that it needs to be addressed now and that conservative policy solutions can make a difference.
GOP House Rep. John Curtis of Utah made a similar point to Backer’s. “I believe strongly that if Republicans don’t make (climate change) an issue, we will lose the upcoming generation of Republicans,” he said. “The upcoming generation will not be patient with us. This is a deal-breaker for them. They’ll leave the Republican Party over this one issue.”
Well-respected GOP pollster Frank Luntz said in 2019 that of all generations of current voters, “Three in four American voters want to see the government step in to limit carbon emissions — including a majority of Republicans (55%). Voters’ concerns simply aren’t being addressed.”
There are at least four reasons for young conservatives’ concern:
1. Scientific consensus: Older conservatives were educated in a time before climate science; younger generations learned climate science along with reading, writing and arithmetic. Education is foundational to our worldview. Advancing policies based on evidence and scientific consensus is crucial for effective solutions.
2. National security: Climate change is increasingly seen as a national security threat due to its potential to exacerbate conflicts over resources, disrupt supply chains and create refugee crises. Addressing climate change is a matter of protecting national security and maintaining geopolitical stability.
3. Economic opportunities: Renewable energy and other climate-friendly technologies represent economic opportunities, including job creation and innovation. Supporting policies that promote clean energy fosters economic growth and reduces reliance on foreign energy sources.
4. Conservative values: Some conservatives may argue that addressing climate change aligns with traditional conservative values, such as responsible stewardship of resources, fiscal responsibility, and a desire to preserve natural beauty and landscapes. Solutions that are pro-market and involve limited government regulation exist — such as a carbon fee and dividend with a border tax adjustment. We need to keep American businesses competitive in global markets.
Republicans should develop a coherent and effective climate policy before they cease to be a politically viable party. The political will is mounting for serious solutions to climate change as public opinion shifts.
Increasing numbers of Americans — including Republicans — are expressing concern and support for action. We need all voices at the solutions table, especially ones that reflect long-standing conservative principles.
Susan Atkinson is a volunteer for the Citizens Climate Lobby, an organization that reaches across the political spectrum to find common ground for climate change action.
Submit a letter, of no more than 400 words, to the editor here or email letters@chicagotribune.com.
@Flannery Winchester, mission accomplished! We got not 1, not 2, but 3 letters in today's (Oct 8) Tribune.
May we all learn how to love well.
To find something to love that is larger
and more powerful than anything we fear.
May we
celebrate the light and learn from the shadows.
May there be peace within and between us. Om shanti.
– Dawna Markova, Living a Loved Life, I Will Not Die an Unlived Life
@Richard Knight, fantastic!! I would love to feature your chapter and talk about this success and whatever else your chapter has going on - feel free to put info into this form: cclusa.org/success and I'll write up a little blurb for a future Weekly Briefing.
And @Unhae Langis, Rick included the text of the op-ed in his original post above.
@Richard Knight Fantastic! Congratulations to you and your other LTE rapid responders, @Mary Hansen and @Jonathan Berman. (@ function is not bringing up their names, sorry.) Here's the content of the letters so others can be inspired:
Climate change affects us all
The op-ed by Susan Atkinson (“Climate change denial may be party deal-breaker for young conservatives,” Sept. 29) is so important because it clearly shows why climate change must not be mischaracterized as a culture war issue. This is imperative not only for politicians but for media outlets as well, where polling is too often presented as a stand-in for facts.
Special interests that oppose government action on climate change are eager to paint it as a partisan issue for their own short-term benefit. That must not be tolerated. Like it or not, emissions from fossil fuel burning are the chief cause of a steady buildup of heat in our atmosphere and oceans, a buildup that we now know can no longer be tolerated. Given the benefits that cheap energy has bestowed on our modern society, it’s an uncomfortable reality, but one we must face.
Thoughtful young conservatives know this. Misleading the public by appealing to tribal loyalties is not only misguided but also downright immoral. The U.S. Treasury recently reported that damage from climate-fueled events from 2018 to 2022 cost us more than $617 billion. Wildfires in the West, extreme heat in the Southwest and Southern Plains, and increased flooding in the Southeast and coastal areas are already costing us billions in damages to infrastructure, labor and health.
Instead of fueling partisanship, conservative institutions should focus on supporting solutions that align with their values. I was glad Atkinson mentioned the carbon fee and dividend concept, which does just that. By levying a fee on carbon-rich fuels as soon as they come out of the ground and then dispensing the proceeds equally to American taxpayers, this policy removes the need for government agencies to pick winners or losers; instead, it leaves those complex decisions up to the experts that populate private sector companies.
Instead of risking taxpayer dollars on costly projects vulnerable to political manipulation and partisan attacks, it incentivizes private investors to risk theirs. Instead of dictating what kinds of products consumers can buy, it incentivizes sellers to offer products that minimize their exposure to carbon costs.
And, above all, the household dividends ensure that the cost burden falls on the heaviest polluters, not the general public and certainly not low- and middle-income Americans who consume far less than the wealthy.
Young conservatives are on the right path by demanding honest, honorable climate solutions from their elected officials.
— Rick Knight, Brookfield
Our nation needs a carbon tax
Regarding Susan Atkinson’s op-ed: Climate change is not just an issue for young conservative Republicans. The heating climate is affecting all of us regardless of our party, our state or our country. The smoke from forest fires hundreds of miles away in Canada or Montana coats everyone’s lungs and weakens our health.
Only by working together can we implement the many ways that already exist to reverse this slow death. One big way that can involve all of us is to charge fossil fuel producers for the pollution their products send into our air and give the money to each one of us in equal shares to spend as we see fit.
The consuming public is a big player in the free market.
I’d love to see a tax that offsets increased costs to most of us consumers and makes the polluters pay. Wouldn’t you?
— Mary Hansen, Northbrook
Seek market-based solutions
Susan Atkinson’s op-ed highlights an important issue: Many policies promoted by the Republican Party currently echo Donald Trump’s short-term transactional view of the world. Young voters do not have the luxury of taking a short-term view and need long-term solutions. They will be dealing with climate change long after Trump is gone.
Market-based solutions such as a carbon fee and dividend program, along with a carbon border adjustment mechanism, are exactly what a conservative voter should find appealing as opposed to more subsidies and regulation.
Climate change denial might garner votes today from older voters, but it bodes poorly for the long-term prospects for both the Republican Party and the world.
— Jonathan Berman, Elmhurst
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