The American Conservation Coalition, an organization working to mobilize young conservatives to support climate action. The Coalition seeks to persuade conservatives by harkening back to earlier generations of Republican leaders that favored environmental protection. For a transcript, please visit https://climatebreak.org/the-american-conservation-coalition-with-karly-matthews/
For a transcript, please visit https://climatebreak.org/the-american-conservation-coalition-with-karly-matthews/
Ms. Matthews: We're raising the next generation of conservatives who grew up hunting, fishing, hiking, and that creates a deep love of the environment. Now that they're involved in politics and advocacy, they want to protect it.
Ethan: That's Karly Matthews, Communications Director for the American Conservation Coalition, an organization working to mobilize young conservatives to support climate action.
Ms. Matthews: We support innovation. The government can incentivize that innovation, but we think private public partnerships are the best way forward. We support renewable energies, EVs can be the future, but there's a lot of work to do on the infrastructure on making sure that charging stations are widely available to Americans. Technologies like carbon capture are so important, as well as battery storage to increase the viability of renewables. We can encourage economic prosperity while also encouraging environmental sustainability.
Ethan: The Coalition seeks to persuade conservatives by harkening back to earlier generations of Republican leaders that favored environmental protection.
Ms. Matthews: Our planet is something that we share and that we should prioritize protecting. Roosevelt is considered the father of our national parks. And George H. W. Bush signed amendments to the Clean Air Act. There is a history of caring about the environment that's not incompatible with conservative values.
Ethan: For more ideas on how to expand the coalition to support climate action, and for more climate solutions, visit our website at climatebreak.org. I'm Ethan Elkind, and this was Climate Break.