GOP must take charge on climate change. They could win on it in 2024 - Milwaukee Journal Sentinel

GOP must take charge on climate change. They could win on it in 2024

GOP can lead the way on climate change. The Republican debate shouldn't shy away from it.

Climate actually can be a winning message for Republicans

The first Republican primary debate afterparty is sponsored by a somewhat unlikely stakeholder: the conservative environmental movement.

The American Conservation Coalition, the largest conservative environmental organization in the country, is a headline sponsor of the RNC Host Committee’s afterparty ahead of the debate Wednesday in Milwaukee. This demonstrates just how important environmentalism is for the conservative movement and provides a clear mandate for GOP candidates to display an optimistic and definitive environmental agenda for the 2024 cycle and beyond. Climate change is an issue that affects everyone, and conservatives must take charge in addressing the matter.

Young voters tend to prioritize environmental issues at a much greater rate than their older counterparts. According to a recent Gallup poll, 69% of Republicans between the ages of 18 and 34 worry “a great deal” or “a fair amount” about the impacts of climate change. The poll also points out that 83% of Independents of the same age group worry at least “a fair amount” about the impacts of climate change, and 85% of young Democrats fear the same. The apparent lack of interest among certain GOP candidates runs into additional obstacles as the number of younger Americans turning out to vote has been increasing in the past few elections. If these candidates want their message to resonate with the youth voter, they must prioritize commonsense solutions to climate-related concerns.

Usurping a portion of the youth vote from the Democratic Party is not the only reason GOP candidates should pursue climate change solutions, however. Climate actually can be a winning message for Republicans. Ensuring the American people that the free market and innovation – rather than red tape and regulation – is what drives environmental progress, would go a long way for these presidential hopefuls. Nearly all positive steps taken on clean energy, are done through the free market. The development and technological advancements of nuclear, wind, solar, and hydropower were not created due to a strict market, but just the opposite.

Additionally, the United States between the years 2005 through 2017 reduced its carbon emissions by 14%, more than the next twelve countries combined. Again, this was not done via restrictive regulation, but rather by opening the free market and relying more heavily on cleaner energy sources, such as natural gas.

Climate action is a win-win for conservatives

A cleaner world relies on innovation and investment in the free market, and these candidates must lay out solutions and policies based on our capitalistic principles that are not only good for the people but good for the planet. Achieving this environmental and economic marriage allows candidates to have their political cake and eat it too – finding environmental solutions that embed so beautifully within the American economic framework is a win-win for voters of either side.

More: Protecting the environment: Wisconsin can commit to climate action based on science and solutions

Environmentalism is no stranger to the Republican Party. The American Conservation Coalition demonstrates that with its bold – yet conservative – Climate Commitment. Other Republicans, including Wisconsin’s own Representative Bryan Steil, are pursuing these commonsense solutions in government while participating in the Conservative Climate Caucus. These conservatives are pushing for policies that reduce unnecessary regulation and help the environment through research and development. For example, these conservatives push for investment and innovation in technologies such as nuclear energy, which is clean, safe, and the most reliable energy source known to man. Even in Wisconsin, nuclear energy provides 15.5% of the state’s energy supply. This demonstrates the incredible power of Wisconsin’s only remaining nuclear plant, and could open the door for the state to be the perfect jumping-off point for conservative environmentalism.

None of this is to say the GOP candidates must leap head-first into the same apocalyptic climate alarmism that so many on the Left are fond of doing. However, it does mean that the candidates should recognize the real issues in the United States surrounding the climate and push to take reasonable action. Pursuing climate solutions through a capitalistic lens can certainly be a winning message for Republicans while simultaneously addressing the concerns of critical voter blocs.

While prioritizing climate action with a clear and optimistic vision for the future doesn’t guarantee a political coup d’état for the Republican candidates, it could be instrumental in successfully making it through the primaries and establishing a message that could defeat President Biden in the general. Investment and innovation within the free market is key in creating a cleaner world, and the GOP can lead the way.

Jackson Radandt is a volunteer activist with the American Conservation Coalition. He is a graduate of Marquette University where he earned degrees in Biomedical Sciences and Political Science.