BodyText2
At republicEn.org we’re conservatives reaching conservatives on
climate change. We believe that free enterprise can solve climate change.
We don’t like to say that we “believe” in climate change, though.
As our friend, climate scientist Katharine Hayhoe often says, “Climate change
is happening whether you believe in it or not.” Instead, we say that we believe
free enterprise can solve climate change. We believe wholeheartedly that
free enterprise can spark America’s innovative spirit in search of a solution
that will benefit us all, red or blue, east or west, rural or urban.
Political parties are at their best when they think big, when they
aim at solutions rather than scapegoats and when they rely on data rather than
dogma. There was a consensus that America would lead the world to solutions on
climate change. It was well expressed as far back as 1990 by the late President
George H. W. Bush. That consensus held through early 2008 as Newt Gingrich appeared in an ad with Nancy
Pelosi, making the case for action.
Then came the Great Recession. Fear
took hold. Vested interests used that fear to sell some nostalgia about the
incumbent fuels, masking their real aim of extracting the last bit of economic
rents out of their tired, old technologies. Republicans started saying, “I’m
not a scientist” when they were asked about climate change. Years went by and
that line began to poll poorly, probably because it was akin to saying, “I’m
not a doctor, I have no position on health care; I’m not a truck driver, I have
no position on highway funding.”
Meanwhile, the EcoRight has been born,
talking about solutions, looking for champions who will listen and act.
And we’ve seen a shift of late. Conservative lawmakers who before
shied away from suggesting bold climate action are coming to the table. Climate
change is upon us. It’s nonsensical to deny it.
Conservatives are ready to leave behind the denial and enter the
competition of ideas about solutions. Climate change is a serious threat, and
it requires immediate action.