A Conservative Approach to Climate Change

Margaret Thatcher once said that climate change “provides a marvelous excuse for worldwide, supranational socialism.” This has largely proven true, with climate change reviving some of the Marxist elements of the left that had largely died out after the dissolution of the Soviet Union. The environmentalist movement, dominated by the far left, has a tendency to propose solutions to climate change that were always on their political wish lists. But that is no reason to disregard the science behind climate change.

Instead, climate change needs conservative solutions. Modern environmentalism is all too willing to toss aside people’s traditions, habits, and lifestyles for the “greater good.” 

We live during a time in which ordinary people can fly to other parts of the world, eat generous amounts of meat, and in which cars give us a level of freedom that was unimaginable just a few generations ago. Those on the left tend to see these parts of our current civilization as a moral failing and proof of the capitalistic system’s inherent decadence. This gives conservatives an opportunity to ground climate policy in a way that preserves as much of our modern lifestyle as possible.

Fortunately there are options—backed by science and already in use in some places—that allow us to combat climate change without asking anyone to eat bugs, go vegan, or stop flying.