The environment is one of the big existential issues of the 21st century and one that people are more and more raising awareness about. Yet many in right-wing, conservative and nationalist circles seem to be apathetic about the issue or outright dismissive.
The environmental debate has effectively created a false dichotomy of two competing factions. First there’s the greens. Left-wing environmentalists who advocate rapid globalized solutions to what they claim to be an impending irreversable climate doom scenario. Relying on simplistic catch-all solutions like renewable energy, veganism and carbon neutral deadlines.
On the other hand there’s the grays. Fiscal conservatives who prioritize economic growth over environmental concerns and deny the necessity of environmentalism altogether because they fear accepting them would mean conceding to left-wing regulations.
I believe that it is a mistake for the right to let themselves be painted as part of the gray side and that we should not allow the left to monopolize the environmental issue.
In fact I believe conservatism to be a natural ally to the environmental cause. After all how could an ideology that is all about conserving your homeland not include conservation of your natural resources?
Environmentalism became fashionable on the left because aesthetically they think it fits with their savior complex. Global rootless activists transcend borders to liberate the oppressed victims of ecolocide caused by the evil capitalist system. But this is progressive greenwashing. Environmentalism is metaphysically conservative. It is about preservation of the resources that were given to you by your ancestors and that you will pass on to your legacy. It’s only when you have a feeling of patriotic obligation to your homeland that you will have the incentive to protect nature.
It is the conservative tradition that has exalted nature and the countryside as opposed to the dense city lifestyle of modernity. In contrast we have seen the ecological damage caused by nations that were ruled by far-left ideologies. The Soviet Union’s mass pollution and destructive agrarian policies through their pseudoscientific Lysenkoist plans or the extreme anthropocentrism of Mao Zedong believing they could bend nature to humanity’s will.
Unfortunately merely the term environmentalism has become synonymous with climate agendas, globalist projects and progressivism, so it is natural for the right to be allergic to the term. But that does not mean we ought to dismiss it, in fact it is all the more reason to call out their inefficient ideas and provide alternatives. Perhaps an alternative term could be used to distinguish the policies on the right. A term like conservationism could emphasize the conservative nature of this alternative movement. Green conservatism is also often used and it a pretty simple and straightforward description.
So what would a right-wing environmentalist or conservationist agenda look like as alternative to the current one? These are some of my policy proposals:
- Advocacy of nuclear energy. It is becoming increasingly more popular as an alternative energy source and I have seen the debate on this really move towards the pro-nuclear side.
- Expose renewable energy as greenwashing. Not only is renewable energy simply too inefficient and expensive to replace fossil fuels but they are also an environmental hazard. Giant wind turbine and solar parks are destructive to the landscapes, they become a big source of waste when they break, turbines have been destructive to the bird population and have significant health effects on people. They cause more problems than they solve.
- Shutting down mass immigration. Opposition to immigration is already generally advocated by the right so it is easy to incorporate it into an environmentalist policy. Immigration is a big source of urban sprawl and rising carbon footprints. In fact, before selling out, the Sierra Club was fiercely anti-immigration. In addition reducing negative environmental effects will prevent the rise of climate refugees.
- Localism and self-reliance. Another negative environmental effect is the massive global trade and import of products. Often from countries which are the most environmentally destructive. This can be mitigated by opposition to offshoring and free trade while advocating buying locally. Local buying also makes it easier for zero waste stores to thrive.
- Sustainable urbanism. Another way to promote environmentalism is by looking back at how traditional methods of urban development were used to solve problems. Modern cities are car-centric by design meaning buildings have to be designed to be massive, disconnected, vertical which only leads to cars becoming more necessary, and more cars again requires unecessary space and extra lanes and you get stuck in a cycle. Proper urban planning should emphasize walkable neighbourhoods, a discernible center like a town square, building with the terrain not around it, promote environmentally friendlier methods of transportation like bike lanes and public transport.
- Agrarianism. Contrary to what deep ecologists and primitivists like to think agriculture rather than worsening environmentalism has actually improved it and only agriculture can allow humans to live in a sustainable manner through smart resource management. It is the falsely romanticized hunter-gatherers who drove megafauna to extinction with only a tiny fraction of the world population we have today. Farmers with their knowledge on animal husbandry and managing natural resources should play a key advisory role in helping shape policy.
- Ecomodernism. Rather than outright shunning technology we should use it to mitigate humanity’s impact on nature. For example GMOs often attacked by left-wing environmentalists can reduce the need for pesticides. Another very important advancement will be water desalination which will play a key role in preventing impending water shortage leading to large scale migration and war.
These are just some personal examples but the overall point I am making is that we should not let the future of environmental sustainability be through lofty climate agendas, bugman mentality, NGOs, multinational organizations but rather through local solutions by those who have a sense of patriotic obligation to preserve and sustain what belongs to them.
