Conservatives have no more reason to want to destabilize the climate than anyone else, though the political right has largely become where those who deny the existence of or need to do anything about climate change can persist unrebuked and win converts.
A central view of mine these days is that it’s hopeless to pursue climate strategies which depend on progressive governments always being in power, since that’s not plausible for the foreseeable future in Canada, the United States, the UK, etc. Climate policies will need to be in place for decades, so in way way or another they need the ability to endure through at least centre-right if not full on right wing populist governments.
It was nice therefore to see former Prime Minister Kim Campbell criticize the lack of seriousness in Andrew Scheer’s no-targets climate plan. Our deliberations need to be as much as possible about the issues instead of party politics, and seeing voices on the right that accept the scientific consensus and are willing to call out inaction as unacceptable is necessary to build a sufficient political coalition to curb the damage we’re imposing on the planet.
The business community is increasingly concerned about climate change, says Brett Perlman of the Centre for Houston’s Future, a think-tank. This is especially true in Houston, where Hurricane Harvey caused $125bn in damage in 2017. Even oil companies are investing in wind and solar power as it has become cheaper. But plenty of Texan politicians are still wedded to a conservative ideology and a Republican-voting public that rejects the idea of global warming. Asked if he believes climate change is a problem, Greg Abbott, the governor, replies cryptically: “It’s a fact that the climate has changed in the last decade and the last 10,000 years. The climate is constantly changing.”