American Republican's still have a green streak in them

In today’s polarised climate, it’s easy to overlook the idea of Republicans as leaders in environmental movements. Environmentalism is often considered to be a concern of progressive Democrats. However, not too long ago, some key Republican figures, such as Richard Nixon and Ronald Reagan were open in their advocacy for environmental protection. Indeed, it would be a mistake to assume Republicans are uniformly uncompromising climate sceptics. Across the USA, GOP-led states are advancing clean energy, conservation, and resilience policies, thereby showing that conservative climate leadership is not only possible but is already happening.

Cyril Davydenko | CEN Ambassador

The Republican Party has a long, though often overlooked, tradition of conservative environmentalism. Whilst their track record is not without flaws, the GOP has historically been responsible for several key environmental milestones. Most notably, Richard Nixon established the Environmental Protection Agency; Ronald Reagan supported regulations on chemicals that were destroying the ozone layer as well as expanded environmental protections more broadly, and George Bush signed the Air Quality Agreement with Canada aimed at reducing toxic air pollutants primarily responsible for causing acid rain.

Only in the 1990s did environmentalism start becoming a partisan issue. This change was driven on one hand, by the congressional GOP’s shift to the right under Newt Gingrich and by the rising concerns about climate change among Democrat politicians and activists on the other. Between 2016 and 2018 the percentage of registered Democrats who agree that environmental issues are “very important” rose from 69% to 82%, whereas this figure remained at 38% among registered Republicans for over 10 years. However, despite many in the Republican Party being climate change sceptics, some are conscious of this problem and others pursue green policies for pragmatic reasons. 

For instance, a number of Republican strongholds, such as Texas and Oklahoma, embraced green energy and low carbon policies. Additionally, state-level Republicans have a track record of supporting decarbonisation policies with around a third of all recent decarbonisation bills being passed in red states.  These examples make it clear that many Republicans back environmental policies for practical reasons. Their support tends to be driven more by local economic and political incentives than by any deep-rooted belief in environmentalism.

Florida Governor Ron DeSantis is a prime example of this. He has been dismissive of the threats of climate disasters and has waded into climate culture wars, notably advocating for tax breaks for gas stoves. And yet he does feel a sense of duty to his local environment. In 2023 after he entered the presidential race, he said: “I want to conserve Florida, leave it to God better than we found it… What I care about is the environment people enjoy.” Most significantly, he shrugged off the prominent sugar industry influence in Florida in favour of protecting the Everglades. He often cites the co-benefits of conservation, particularly the economic benefit to Florida’s substantial tourism industry. 

DeSantis consistently frames environmental policies as local state issues rather than a blueprint for a more extensive and consistent federal approach. He has long opposed offshore drilling in Florida, even while expressing support for the practice at the national level. The political context in Florida helps explain this apparent inconsistency. Florida voters supported a ban on fracking and offshore drilling, leaving local GOP politicians with little choice but to align themselves with their constituents’ strong conservationist views. 

Regardless of why Republicans support green legislation, these examples strongly suggest that, in the current climate, environmental campaigns may find greater success at the local level than on the national stage. Indeed, Donald Trump’s position on environmentalism leaves little choice on the matter. We know from his first term that he is eager to shift responsibility for the environment to the states. For environmentally minded Republicans, success will depend on presenting green policies as tools for driving economic development and creating good, blue-collar jobs.

Even though the emerging political landscape presents significant challenges for the conservative environmental movement, we must refrain from thinking them insurmountable. State-level Republicans have demonstrated that, even amid rising climate scepticism within the federal party, meaningful progress can be achieved through local green legislation so long as the focus is not simply the environment but cutting bills and protecting the natural environment.

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