It is often thought that conservatism and green are mutually exclusive, but this is not the case. Jim DiPeso, REP Vice President for Policy and Communications said, “the environment is not a partisan issue. Good stewardship is consistent with core conservative values, values that date back to Edmund Burke, the founder of modern conservatism. It’s about keeping America strong and leaving future generations a healthy environment and the freedom to make their own choices.”
Many conservatives understand that US dependence on oil is a strategic liability. This is why many conservatives understand the need to diversify the nation’s energy portfolio. That includes renewables and efficiency. An efficient energy policy means getting the most value out of every dollar we spend on energy. Nothing could be more conservative.
There are other elements of green that are consistent with conservatism. Green Capitalism is big and getting bigger, cleantech in particular is flourishing and conservatives are increasingly seeing the value of this multi-trillion dollar trend.
Conservatives value personal responsibility and it is only logical that this should extend to the things we do to this planet and the life forms that live here.
Continued alliance with those who pollute our planet and kill life wantonly and without regard to how it effects the entire ecosystem, is not viable both ecologically and politically.
Nothing is more conservative than conservation. True conservatives should safeguard the resources on which the health, recreation, and economic prosperity of present and future Americans depend. There is nothing conservative—and certainly nothing wise—in squandering our energy, clean air and water, beloved landscapes, wildlife, wilderness, wetlands, and other natural treasures.
Going green is a matter of survival which is why true conservatives, conserve the environment.
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