I’m a Conservative — and I Care About the Climate, Too | Danielle Butcher Franz | TED

So I'm curious.

And if you'll all indulge me, could I please see a show of hands

of how many of you have ever disagreed with your political party of choice?

OK, so it looks like we are in pretty good company here.

I grew up in the US,

in a small town in rural northern Minnesota,

and my hometown was so small, in fact,

that it was a big deal when our population hit 300.

As you can imagine, in a town that small people spend a lot of time outdoors.

Summers are typically spent in the water,

swimming, fishing and kayaking.

And winters are typically spent on the water,

snowmobiling, snowshoeing and ice skating.

As for me, I spent a lot of time in the woods hunting with my dad,

which is where my passion for the environment was born.

Dad and I agreed early on that conservation was a shared value.

We agreed that climate change was happening.

And we agreed that something needed to be done about it.

As I got older, however,

in terms of politics,

my views began to shift away from those of my progressive family,

and I found myself aligning a little bit more closely

with the Republican Party on issues like abortion, the economy,

regulations and markets.

While these views didn't change my commitment

to environmental stewardship or climate change,

they did often put me at odds with my progressive family members

and left me feeling out of place in environmental circles.

Around the family dinner table,

Republicans were often referred to in a derogatory way,

and while I love my family,

I'm sure I'm not the only one here who's ever had to tune out

the political rantings of another family member

at the dinner table.

Now in my view,

my family dinner table became emblematic of a larger cultural problem that we face.

I often felt that environmentalists were overlooking or outright rejecting

the concerns of very important constituencies, like farmers, hunters,

traditional energy workers and rural Americans.

They certainly were engaging productively with industry,

and it felt that they were quick to point fingers at the right

instead of trying to find ways that we could work together.

Now despite my frustration with the left,

I admit my newfound political party had a lot of work to do.

Republicans were increasingly engaging in debating climate science,

oftentimes skeptical

or outright antagonistic toward climate change.

And comments about climate change being a “Chinese hoax”

did very little to encourage constructive dialogue across the aisle.

It was then that it hit me that both the left and right

were stalling climate change in their own ways.

On the left, we saw purity tests

and an unwillingness to engage with different ideas,

and on the right we saw outright rejection.

And I soon realized that we couldn't leave climate change

to one political party alone.

In fact, climate change will not be solved by one political party,

one ideology or one movement.

Between now and 2050,

the US will decide six presidential elections

and several more congressional turnovers.

I know other countries will also have their own transitions of power,

which means that between now and then,

it would be so foolish to assume

that one party could retain power through it all

and single-handedly solve climate change.

So what does that mean for us?

Well, it means we have to find ways to work together,

or climate change will continue to be an issue that we face and get worse.

This is what led me in 2017 to cofound the American Conservation Coalition.

We were founded by a group of young Republicans

who wanted to see conservatives engaging productively on environmental issues

and provide them a platform where they could talk about these issues

in a way that didn't betray their dearly held values.

And as it turns out, young Republicans are already onboard.

In fact, 81 percent of young conservatives believe that the climate is changing

and want to see it addressed.

We knew that these young Americans deserved a seat at the table

and that their voices could be useful

in pushing the party forward on climate change.

We've decided that our work can be most effective in two ways:

changing the narrative and influencing those who have influence.

And I want to be clear that changing the narrative is twofold.

Because while many on the left believe that all Republicans are climate deniers,

many on the right also believe that all climate action is a Trojan horse

for big government policies that they don't support and don't agree with.

So at ACC, we combat these narratives by publishing op-eds, appearing in media

and amplifying the voices of conservatives

who believe these issues are serious and need to be taken seriously.

This helps reframe the way that Republicans view these issues

and shows the left that conservatives do care,

even if in their own way.

I knew our message was resonating and far-reaching

when conservative commentator Bill O'Reilly invited me on his show

to talk about conservative climate solutions,

and even noted that he was glad to see us changing hearts and minds.

Now since our founding, we’ve appeared in media over 3,000 times,

reached hundreds of millions across social media,

and oftentimes hear our talking points echoed

by other conservative leaders in the movement.

Politicians like Congressman John Curtis of Utah

helped prove that it's possible to be a Republican

who cares about climate change.

He recently won his senatorial primary in a landslide,

not just as a Republican who talks about climate change

but as a Republican who founded the Conservative Climate Caucus

and acts on climate change.

Many conservatives often view climate change

as an electoral liability,

and Congressman Curtis proves that it can be an asset.

So we work with policymakers like Congressman Curtis

to champion an innovative, market-driven approach to climate change.

We advocate for things like fewer regulations

and more emphasis on entrepreneurship,

knowing that we need all hands on deck to solve this problem.

We think that on the policy front, Republicans actually have a lot to offer.

Things like permitting reform to build cleaner energy projects,

things like embracing nuclear energy

and things like exporting clean American energy

to our friends and allies around the world

will not only help reduce global carbon emissions

but also grow the US economy.

To the surprise of many, we're not alone in this work,

and I'm proud to report that ACC now has over 60,000 members across the country

who are young conservatives that want to see action on this issue.

And we also work with a broad coalition of eco right groups,

such as DEPLOY/US, ClearPath and the Conservative Energy Network.

Internationally, we're proud to work with organizations

in the UK, Canada and Australia

who are doing similar work in their respective countries.

While conservatives and progressives may not always agree

on the best ways to address climate change,

we can find common ground in our shared commitment to the environment.

And while there's still work to be done,

there are Republicans who want to come to the table

and engage on climate in good faith.

All we're asking,

and all that I'm asking,

is that you meet us there.

Thank you.

(Applause)