The Daily Signal - How Conservatives Can Reclaim Narrative on Environment

Episode Date: April 12, 2021

“Conservative ideals are the best way to solve environmental issues,” says Benji Backer, founder of the right-leaning environmental advocacy group American Conservation Coalition. Backer joins "The Daily Signal Podcast" to discuss how conservatives can take back the environmental conversation and advocate small-government solutions to climate issues.  Follow the links below to learn more about the American Conservation Coalition: ACC Membership: www.acc.eco/membership ACC Market Environmentalism Academy: www.marketacademy.eco Twitter: @ACC_National Instagram: acc_national Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/AmericanConservationCoalition Also on today’s show, we read your letters to the editor and share a “good news story” about one way you can honor a Korean War veteran on his 93rd birthday. Click here to learn how you can send a letter to Korean War Veteran Thomas Bryan Crouch on his 93rd birthday. Enjoy the show! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This is the Daily Signal podcast for Monday, April 12th. I'm Virginia Allen. And co-hosting with me once again today is my colleague, Doug Blair. Doug, welcome back. Thanks, Virginia. It's great to be here. On today's show, Doug talks with Benji Backer, the founder of the American Conservation Coalition. An environmentalist group started to give conservatives a voice within environmental debates. We also read your letters to the editor and share a good news story from friend of the show, Janine, about how this month you can honor a Korean war veteran on his 93rd birthday. Before we get to today's show, we want to tell you about the most reliable source for global economic data, the Heritage Index of Economic Freedom. The Heritage Foundation Index of Economic Freedom ranks nearly every nation in the world, according to its level of economic freedom.

Whether for personal or professional research, the index is a well of information. Learn why it's easier to start a business in Switzerland than it is. is in France and where America falls on the ranking. Visit heritage.org slash index to explore the new 2021 index of economic freedom, which features interactive maps, country rankings, graphs of data, and much more. Now stay tuned for today's show coming up next. My guest today is Benji Backer, president and founder of the American Conservation Coalition, a nonprofit organization dedicated to mobilizing young people around environmental action

through common sense, market-based, and limited government ideals. Welcome to the show, Benji. It's great to be here. Thanks for having me. Excellent. So, first off, let's start with your organization. So the ACC is described as, like I said, limited government and free market. What does that exactly mean for environmental policy?

And how does that relate to sort of the left's view of effective environmental policy? Well, look, I mean, the story of our organization really comes out of a belief that right of center conservative ideals on environmental issues are the best way to solve environmental issues and that we are losing this issue in so many ways by allowing the policy ideas to be dominated by people in the left of center space. As a lot of people know who are involved in the environmental space, you know, markets and competition and capitalism and technology and innovation are better in terms of solving environmental issues than heavy-handed government regulation. And that's not to say that regulation doesn't have a place in solving environmental issues.

The government does have a role to play, and that's why conservatives have led on it in the past with some smart limited government ideals. But it's really to say that private sector innovation and consumers and capitalism and a fully developed world with a free society can do more to protect the environment because you have a stake in the game. If you're a private landowner, you want to take care of your land. If you're a consumer, you want to save money by lowering your energy costs. If you are a consumer that is trying to figure out how to get to work every day,

you want a more fuel-efficient car that saves you money. So there are ways to have people be a part of the conversation rather than just simply relying on the government to carry a regulation out. And that's kind of where this conversation is missing. the left of center dominating it and taking it completely to this alarmist mentality where it's a federal government or international government ideal or nothing. And then you have the right of center side, which has great ideas in the market-based realm, completely staying silent. And that's where we realize that at ACC that we need to step up and change the narrative. I mean, I think you're

hitting on a really important point there that people want this. I mean, we were just talking a little bit earlier about how, you know, there are so many natural resources that we want to preserve. You're up in Seattle. I'm originally from Portland, Oregon. And there's so many forests, mountains, and rivers, and lakes and all of these things that we want to keep. It's just we haven't had as much coming from the right. So on that topic, we have the free market argument and limited government argument, but is there any common ground between the two sides? Like, what do both sides have in common that we're striving to get towards? Well, first of all, I want to hit on a point that you just made, which is that when you are tied and you have a personal connection to the environment, you want to take care of it.

And conservatives often, more often than liberals, live in rural or beautiful areas that are surrounded by nature. And so we have the biggest stake in the game. But that also means that we should be having the biggest stake in the political game, not just in terms of our own personal lives, but in terms of politics, we should be. raising our voice. And I think that that's what's missing is that, you know, conservatives live in the mountain areas and in the places where there are beautiful ranches and farms and forests. And we know how to take care of those areas. And we have completely ceded that conversation. So I just wanted to finish up that point. In terms of common ground, there absolutely is common ground. I mean, I think one of the things that we

miss out on is that almost everyone in the world that has the opportunity to think about environmentalism cares about the environment. So in a developed country like the United States, to matter if you're liberal or conservative, you care about the environment and you want an outcome that is better for the planet than one that is worse for the planet because it is something that most of us at least think about on the backburner at some point during our lives. And that is a privilege to think about. I mean, if you're in a developing country, that's maybe not something that you're thinking about every day. But because we have been blessed by the national parks and, you know, the beautiful mountain areas and coastal areas of the

United States, we know that it's so important to protect. I think that that love for the environment is shared across political boundaries. I also think that the center left has done a good job of trying to cross over with the right of center side by embracing a lot of conservative ideas around markets and competition and technology and American leadership, nuclear, embracing nuclear, which is something that the far left doesn't always support. So I think that there is a lot of crossover with the center left. In terms of political crossover with people on the far left on this issue, like the Sierra Club or AOC or other people like that,

I think it is hard to find common ground outside of maybe a shared love for the environment because the approach is so drastically different and there are oftentimes very different approaches that they're looking to have outside of environmentalism. So they're trying to figure out how to solve climate change and implement an economic policy that transforms our country. And I think that that's where the overlap loses any credibility. And so as conservatives, we need to start building bridges with people on the center left on this issue, as well as young people who are very apolitical when it comes to political party. And we need to try to show how our values can work better in solving climate change or conservation or whatever issue that,

the young person cares about most. I think that's a really great point, especially since, you know, when I imagine this conversation that's happening right now, you mentioned AOC. I think of people like, you know, her and Greta Toonberg and Al Gore, sort of like the, you know, we're going to be doomed in a couple of years if we don't do something right now. I was looking at your, at some of your previous work, and you said conservatism without a climate plan is a conservatism that will never last. And I think that's absolutely right. But my question then for you is, so how do we get conservatives into that conversation and

how do we do it persuasively? Do we pull people in from the center left? What are we going to do to get this done? Well, I think it's in all the above strategy, not just in terms of policy, which I'd love to talk about kind of all the above strategy on climate policy, but in terms of the political strategy as well, we need to get our own side engaged first. And yes, we should cross over to the center. left, which I will talk about in a second, but we need to raise our voice and say, you know,

regardless of how severe you think climate change is, we can all unify around the need to limit carbon emissions in the atmosphere because they have adverse effects on our health and, in my opinion, on our climate, and I don't know, a lot of people's on the right of center side's opinions also on climate. And so we need to engage our own side and come up with our own plan that is in all the above strategy that really leads, you know, leads with American and innovation and capitalism and showing how the market can lead. And I think if we can do that on our own side, then we can start to embrace people in the center and center left that say climate change is a big problem.

It's my maybe number one or number two issue. And I've been voting Democrat on this issue because my perception is that the left is the best political party or political movement for my passion for climate. If we can start changing that dialogue and bringing those people into our camp, then we're going to have a fighting chance on this issue. The top three states in the country in lowering carbon emissions right now over the past four years have been led by Republican governors. The United States, under President Trump and President Bush and President Obama, without a big climate policy led the world in lowering emissions because of capitalism and

innovation in this country. We have a story to tell, and we haven't even leaned into it yet. And so we need to be the party that takes this and the movement that takes this into the future and says, the left is about rhetoric and we're about action? I mean, yeah, I think that's such a good point that it's not enough to sort of do it. You actually have to talk about it because the perception being, you know, the left is the only one talking about this issue. Like, I didn't even know that this was the case about, you know, the Trump administration and the Bush administration that we were so, we were so effective at environmental policy.

So I guess my next point would be then. You've given us some of these examples. So what needs to be done to better communicate these ideas of free market environmentalism to younger generations? Well, it's a wonderful question. And we really need to start by building a community of like-minded people. And a shameless plug from our organization, the American Conservation Coalition, that is what we're doing. The left does such a great job. And the right does a good job on this on other issues.

but the left does such a great job on this issue of organizing like-minded people to becoming activists around their ideals of climate change policy. And to change policy on this issue in this country, we first need to change culture. That is always how it's been on every issue throughout American history. We need to change the culture that climate change is a regulatory burden on people to one that is an opportunity to have American innovation and American capitalism and American leadership. And if we can build a movement around that and build a community of activists to write up beds, to hold events, to contact their legislator, to start a business, you know, to build a community of people change makers, then we have a chance to actually retake this conversation.

And that's really important for the sake of the planet and the sake of the politics of it. And so, you know, for anybody that's listening to this, the first step would be joining an organization like ours. which you can do at acc.ec.eco slash membership. But just in general, raise your voice on this issue. Make this one of your top five issues that you lean into and talk to your friends about and talk to your family about. We have a market environmentalism academy where we have courses about these sorts of ideals.

You know, lean into that, learn about why these ideals are better in solving climate change and other environmental issues. Because without having an equipped generation of conservative-leaning people who are climate advocates, we will never retake this issue. And we have to. It is our duty as a movement of right-of-center people and people who believe in this country to retake this issue. Yeah, I think that's a fantastic point. It's kind of important to learn about it and then be an activist in the sense of, yeah, I'm pushing for free market solutions. Yeah, I'm pushing for a limited government solution. One of the things that I also am noticing as we're talking about this

is I feel like a lot of the conversations that relate to environmental policy, specifically focus on more of the macro level of it. So it's like government policy and corporate policy. Like, I mean, this is kind of maybe a silly question, but like, is there anything more than just kind of like, hey, I'm going to turn the lights off or take a shower that's less than 10 minutes? Or like, you know, what can your average Joe do to kind of help the planet? Well, I love that you ask that because what the political left has done in this issue is completely dilute the importance of individual action. And as we all know, our individual actions add up. It's like voting or anything else in life. The more that we each do our own individual

action, the more that it starts to add up into a positive outcome. And so yes, environmental issues are macro issues. And yes, they're global. And yes, that we need potentially big cultural and systemic changes to protect certain areas and change the way we do things. That is always going to be the case on a global issue, right? But individuals have such an important stake in this conversation, and we all need to do it in the way that's best for us. You know, the left says, oh, you have to, you know, you have to walk to work or bus to work or whatever, or you have to transition to an electric car, you have to reuse a reusable straw, or whatever it is. Everyone lives a different life, and everyone has a different impact on the environment. Some people stay home and work every day,

and they never use a plastic straw. Some people use a plastic straw five times a day. So everyone has a different outcome that they have on the environment. So I think it's really important for us to think through our days and say, what am I doing that has an impact on the environment and how can I lessen that? And not to shame ourselves for having an impact on the environment, but to say how can I improve just like any other part of life. And so for me, what that means is, you know, especially during COVID days,

you know, buying a lot of things online. Okay, how can I buy things from companies that are more local? So the shipping is less, which also can save me money. You know, how can I find a way to shop more local with my produce? How can I make tea at home instead of having to go out and buy tea every time that I need a caffeine break? You know, it's things like that that oftentimes save me money, but they also reduce the carbon footprint that I have. And so trying to figure out how in the different ways that I make an impact, I can lessen it. So what I would just suggest for people is think through your day and your normal day and say,

what are the different things that I do? What are the different things that I purchase? Where are the different places that I go? And how can I lower that impact? Because if you just think that through, you will constantly find more innovative ways to do it, and it does add up and make a difference. I think that's a fantastic reframing of the issue. I think that, you know, it is important to focus on the individual in their circumstances

and how they can specifically affect the environment. Well, Benji, we're running a little low on time, but I wanted to give you sort of a last opportunity to highlight two or three points that you wanted our listeners to take away from this. And then what can conservatives really do to effectively get involved in our environmental politics? Well, I guess the main takeaway that I want people to have is to lean in, you know, lean into this issue. If this issue has scared you or you feel like, you know, the left just owns it and that it's not even worth, you know, breaking into or you don't know anything about it

because you've been shying away from it, lean into it and find a path that you think is really interesting. If you live in rural America and you really enjoy the hunting and angling in your area, figure out a way to tie that to your environmental activism. If you live in an urban area and you know a lot of young people who care about this issue, figure out how you can influence them about how markets can make a big impact on our environment. So try to figure out how you can lean in your own personal capacity. And the most effective way to do it is to become part of our movement. And I'm not just saying ACC, I mean the broader conservative environmental movement.

Join this community of people who are starting to change the culture of environmentalism and change the narrative that conservatives don't care about the environment and that conservative values don't work in terms of driving down emissions or protecting our public lands or protecting our wildlife and our in our beautiful spaces here in the united states and abroad so you know join our our membership program it's a really easy way to get involved it's free acc.ecco slash membership we also provide a free educational academy for people who want to learn about these ideals kind of like heritage has which is called our market environmentalism academy which is found at market academy. eco so we've got a lot of resources and we would we would love to be helpful in kind of changing your idea of how you can fight for this issue

and how your individual stake in this conversation is more important than ever as we come to a juxtaposition of will the left have this issue for the rest of our days and find terrible policy approaches or will we retake this and save our planet and save our movement? Perfect great advice, Benji. I really appreciate it. Well, again, that was Benji Becker, president and founder of the American Conservation Coalition. We will be including links to all of those resources he mentioned in the show notes. But again, Benji, thank you so much. It was a pleasure. Thanks so much for the conversation. Do you have an interest in public policy? Do you want to hear some of the biggest names in American politics speak? Every day, the Heritage Foundation host

webinars called Heritage Events Live. Webinar topics range from ethics during the COVID-19 pandemic to the CARES Act and the economy. These webinars are free and open to the public. To find the latest webinars and register, visit heritage.org slash events. Thanks for sending us your letters to the editor. Each Monday, we feature our favorites on this show. Virginia, who's up first? In response to Jarrett Stetman's commentary piece, woke math spreads to Oregon, John Donner writes, as a mathematician, I think back to the earliest recorded histories of civilizations. These earliest civilizations develop geometry for surveying and navigating, counting notations, and systems for commerce. The Greeks discovered some esoteric concepts that still inform

mathematical advances thousands of years later. Mathematics, in fact, is essential to the fabric of civilization. And if our woke academics dismantle it, they will create a population of humans too ignorant to perform even the basic decisions needed in life. And in response to the same article, Richard DeBuck of Houston writes, as an engineer, I cannot avoid commenting on Jared Stetman's woke math article. Math is a non-partisan, non-ethnic, non-racist, non-political science that deals in the logic of quantities, shapes, and arrangements. Being old school, we had to memorize addition, subtraction,

and multiplication tables in school and practice each with sample problems. Having a fundamental grip on math positions you for a brighter future in life, or, dare I say, the ability to think for yourself. I cannot understand how anyone can attach racism or some other attribute to solving math problems. The school systems are doing a huge disservice by confusing students with unrelated jargon that only sets them up for failure in the real world. Your letter could be featured on next week's show. So send us an email at Letters at DailySignal.com. What the heck is trickle-down economics? Does the military really need a space force?

What is the meaning of American exceptionalism? I'm Michelle Cordero. I'm Tim Desher. And every week on the Heritage Explains podcast, we break down a hot-button policy issue in the news at a 101 level. Through an entertaining mix of personal stories, media clips, music, and interviews, we help you actually understand the issues.

So do this. Subscribe to Heritage Explains on iTunes, Google Play, or wherever you get your podcast today. Virginia, it is Monday morning and you have a good news story to kick off the week. Over to you. Thanks so much, Doug. The fifth annual National Medal of Honor mail call was March 25th. Hundreds of individuals sent letters and packages to the National Medal of Honor Museum in Arlington, Texas. And the museum is currently in the process of distributing those letters to all the Medal of Honor recipients. You all may remember that our good friend and motivational speaker, Janine Stang, started the mail call five years ago, and she joined us several weeks ago to talk about this year's Medal of Honor mail call and how you could get involved, which many of you did. Thank you so much for that. I recently had a chance to catch up with Janine to find out about the success of this year's mail call.

The Medal of Honor Museum was knee-deep in cards and packages from everybody. So I want to thank you for helping get the word out. And to everybody that listens to your podcast, thank you so much for taking the time to learn about our Medal of Honor recipients. As you guys may have heard, we just lost our oldest, he was our oldest living, Middle of Honor recipient. He's no longer with us, Coolidge. and he was 99 years old. So we know the value of making sure they don't leave this earth. You know, a lot of them are elderly without one last burst of gratitude,

and you all made that happen. Thanking our veterans should, of course, not be something we only do once or twice a year, and that is why Janine also organizes letter writing campaigns throughout the year, which she calls missions. These missions are launched to celebrate a special veteran on their birthday. And this April, you can help celebrate a Korean War veteran on his 93rd birthday. This mission is Mission 50, and we have a gentleman, he's 93 years young on April 20th. His name is Mr. Crouch, and he is a Korean War veteran.

I'm going to read this little excerpt that his daughter sent to me, Thomas Brian Crouch, senior, graduated from Texas A&M in 1949, commissioned as lieutenant. He was called to active duty by Air Force in 1950 and served till 1962, then went into the reserves and retired as lieutenant colonel in 1978. He and his young family were stationed in Germany during the Korean War, and he flew the Gooneybird, or the C-47. So I don't know if anybody out there likes the C-47s or just the Air Force you know, veterans that they would love to connect with, this is an opportunity for you to send him a birthday card. Now, if you're a teacher and you have young artists, have them draw him a C-47 and maybe have him in the plane waving. I can't tell you how the faces of these veterans who are in their

90s, we just had another who celebrated his 100th birthday, how much they love these expressions of happy birthday and we're thankful for your service. And also it's a great way to have your students or your family learn a little bit about the Korean War. If you text the word or the letters, it's not a word, USA to 33777, you will get the link to this mission and the address that you could write to Mr. Crouch. So he's turning 93 on April 20th. so you want to make sure you don't procrastinate, right?

He didn't procrastinate for us, so we don't procrastinate for him. Get your cards in the mail. If you have a company and you're listening and you want this to be a group project for your company, let me tell you what means they don't think, oh, I'm too old to send a birthday card. They love anything. They absolutely love anything. Send a postcard from where you're from. Or maybe if you've got something that you'd like to send, maybe you like to make a craft,

send them that as well. Whatever you want, just make sure you get it in the mail so that he gets it by April 20th. Text USA to 33777. You just have to give your email and then the link will be returned to you on a text message. And once again, if you want to send a happy birthday card to Korean War veteran at Thomas Brian Crouch on his 93rd birthday, just text USA to 33777. And if you're not familiar with Janine Stang, be sure to check out all of her work and the way that she honors veterans by visiting Janine Stangang.com. That's Janine J-A-N-I-N-E, and then Stang-S-T-A-N-G-E.

You can also follow her on Twitter at The Anthem Girl. Virginia, what a great story. Thank you so much for sharing. We're going to leave it there for today, but you can find the Daily Signal podcast on the Rickochet Audio Network, and all of our shows can be found at DailySignal.com slash podcasts.

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