Conservatives Must Redefine Environmental Stewardship
American innovation has led the world through centuries of progress, and the new energy revolution is no exception. We must champion abundance and innovation, not degrowth. Conservatives have the tools to lead with collaboration for the future of conservation, ushering in a new era of environmentalism for humans, not against humans.
Yosemite Valley, California. Photo by Joshua Tsu on Unsplash.
So far, 2025 has been a devastating year for natural disasters, coming at a great cost not only to America’s wilderness but also to human life and property. From the floods in Texas to wildfires across the country and the onset of what is expected to be a tumultuous hurricane season, environmental hazards are rarely far from the forefront of the news cycle.
Our country’s greatest challenges today require leadership that will steward its natural resources for the good of human beings, not to their detriment. This is the conservative environmental ethic: not single-mindedly prioritizing the preservation of land at all costs, but caring for the natural world for the purpose of human flourishing in our generation and those that succeed it. The progressive era of environmentalism neglected to view the environmental project holistically; conservatives must lead if we want conservation to be rightly understood.
The environmental movement desperately needs conservative leadership, and not just because of the increased political necessity of bipartisan policies. Conservatives have the opportunity to use their influence to benefit the environment, fostering a spirit of achievement among human stewards and care for our resources. The conservative conservation legacy, exemplified perhaps no more succinctly than by its founding father, Teddy Roosevelt, sees stewardship ultimately as a project born of patriotism and prudence. His call to fellow Americans, “We have fallen heirs to the most glorious heritage a people ever received, and each one must do his part if we wish to show that the nation is worthy of its good fortune,” serves as a reminder of the need to treat our natural resources not as a liability of human presence, as progressives have been too quick to do, but as an inheritance. Environmental policy is incomplete without this philosophical basis, without which environmental policy becomes merely a game of minimizing civilizational flourishing.
“While the left was successful in getting the general public to care about our environment, its insistence on big-government mandates and overly strict policies stifled innovation, placing nature and human flourishing at odds.”
A constructive framing for America’s project of stewardship is long overdue, as Americans begin to burn out from decades of politicized climate panic. Among younger generations in particular, 63 percent of respondents note experiencing climate anxiety, the natural result of climate policy and corporate ESG messaging centered on emissions targets with dire warnings but few actionable solutions. This combination of panic and decision paralysis has left many feeling like a climate catastrophe is inevitable. Listening to the pessimistic echo chamber of the left makes it difficult for the general public to follow their discourse—are we truly doomed because no solutions are being offered, or is attention the ultimate goal? Instead of accepting this fate and resigning to a life devoid of environmental freedom, some conservatives have taken advantage of the left’s loss of trust with Americans to begin leading with a solutions-first approach to the natural world.
While the left was successful in getting the general public to care about our environment, its insistence on big-government mandates and overly strict policies stifled innovation, placing nature and human flourishing at odds. Many policies too often ignored the people closest to the land, such as sportsmen and farmers, in favor of the expert class in Washington, DC, which has only an academic understanding of the on-the-ground challenges of managing the land.
Meanwhile, rather than providing a necessary counterbalance to the kind of one-note policy mindset the left has utilized, we conservatives allowed ourselves to become ideologically cornered on environmental issues. The left took advantage of our abdication of our role, slowly narrowing down the broad scope of environmental issues to revolve around the one too many Republicans were reticent to face head-on: climate change. Our seat at the table was replaced with outspoken doomsaying that provided no practical solutions. Ceding this ideological ground only allowed extremism to thrive further, without market-based, practical solutions from the right.
Yet we are not out of the game. Conservatives have our work cut out for us, given the sharp increase in energy required to support the next wave of things like AI, data centers, and cryptocurrency. Rather than merely continuing work as usual, true environmental leadership will necessitate bold new innovation to achieve the kind of energy-abundant future the US needs to thrive. For one thing, we can reduce red tape for energy projects, aligning a cleaner energy grid with job growth and human innovation. We can also continue to promote localized, grassroots solutions at the state and local levels, together with the people most affected by the problems we aim to solve.
If America is to regain a balanced view of environmentalism rooted in human flourishing, conservatives must be willing to reclaim their role and use their voices to lead on conservation. Enduring environmental progress necessitates the kind of durability that comes from working with market forces rather than heavy-handed mandates and quotas.
American innovation has led the world through centuries of progress, and the new energy revolution is no exception. Additionally, if we want environmentalism to work for people, we need an environmental ethic rooted in what matters. Our ethic and leading narrative must be one of stewardship, not preservation at all costs. We must champion abundance and innovation, not degrowth. Conservatives have the tools to lead with collaboration for the future of conservation, ushering in a new era of environmentalism for humans, not against humans.