Let's work on bipartisan solutions on climate change

Did you hear about the climate rally at the state capital? Nobody desecrated any paintings, but it was about what you’d expect: a chorus of progressives calling for “climate justice.” Except, we were there too. We were there:

• Knowing greenhouse gas emissions threaten our natural landscape and economy

• Rejecting the false dilemma of the Green New Deal vs. climate denial

• Trusting free markets more than big government to solve problems

• Understanding that industrial problems need industrial solutions

• Believing in the strength of American industry and innovation

• Seeking real emissions reductions without vilifying fossil fuels

• Serving as a balance to the Environmental Left

We’re conservative and moderate Montanans advocating for real solutions to greenhouse gas pollution. We’re engaging on this issue for three reasons: it’s real, it matters and it’s a potential trojan horse for policies that compromise our values.

We know it’s real because objective measurements of atmospheric carbon dioxide levels show it increasing at unprecedented rates that are strongly correlated with global economic activity. The increases would be even higher if not for the ocean also absorbing it and thereby becoming more acidic. Although certain policies may be a hoax, the underlying pollution most certainly is not.

We know that it matters because although it’s difficult to pinpoint an exact cause for specific weather events, we know that the changes we’ve seen are stacking the deck against us by making weather and moisture patterns more severe and less predictable. We wish that polar bears hadn’t become the poster children for this issue because we’re more concerned about its impacts in our region — especially to those whose lives and livelihoods are intertwined with the land like farmers and ranchers.

Finally, we engage on this issue because we know that modern environmentalism can quickly lead to calls for big government and emotional pleas for pork-barrel politics that are focused on social issues rather than facts and data. But we can counter this trend by acknowledging the underlying issue and proposing direct, effective solutions. In doing so we can reframe environmentalism as stewardship and thereby preserve what has been entrusted to us, including our natural landscape, economic strength and personal liberties.

We hope to show that it’s possible and necessary for conservatives to step up on this issue. In subsequent editorials, we’ll offer more insight into conservative and bipartisan solutions.

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Kyle McIntyre is a volunteer climate stewardship advocate and the Montana spokesperson for RepublicEn — a home for conservatives who care about climate.

Hattie Hobart is the Western Regional Director for the American Conservation Coalition, the largest youth right-of-center grassroots environmental organization in the country.

Alex Amonette volunteers with Citizens’ Climate Lobby, a nonpartisan organization that supports market-based climate solutions.