Why some conservatives are embracing climate change

Rep. John Curtis, R-Utah, said the Climate Summit he hosted Friday at Utah Valley University was a bridge-building event where people from all political persuasions could come together to have “frank discussions” about the challenges of the climate, the emphasis on revolutionary technology to come to solutions and a commonality that embraces a goal of clean air, clean water and clean land.
He pointed to a tour he took with his staff, traversing some of the most scenic landscapes in Utah — including Kanab, Cedar Breaks and a mountainside featuring golden aspen mixed among conifer.
Curtis founded the Conservative Climate Caucus in 2021 and it has now grown to more than 80 members — all Republican — and five of those people have volunteered to take his place as the shepherd of the cause as he prepares to potentially change jobs and win an election to the U.S. Senate in a seat currently occupied by Sen. Mitt Romney.
Speaking early during the event, Curtis said he does not see climate as an either/or proposition but as a canvas that welcomes ideas to arrive at practical solutions and to fortify the gap that is so often dominant in the conversation.
Energy development is the polarizing agent that shuts down thoughtful discussions, with people with differing positions quickly going to their corner of the boxing ring to ready themselves for another fight that does not move the country forward, he added.
“You do not have to give up your conservative credentials to be part of this,” Curtis said, emphasizing there are “stereotypes” about the GOP.
When it comes to demonization, Great Salt Lake Commissioner Brian Steed said agriculture is often blamed for its consumption of water, its emissions footprint and little attention is paid to its economic worth and environmental benefit.
He added on Friday that one acre of alfalfa — a crop scorned by many because of how much water it demands — actually sequesters 1,400 pounds of carbon.
“Agriculture is up to the task,” when it comes to environmental concerns such as water consumption and reduction of its carbon footprint, he said.
Overall, Steed said the state is making progress, for example, on its efforts to help the Great Salt Lake.
Curtis added: “I think Utah has responded very well.” There has also been federal action.
Nuclear energy, or the United States’ lack of it, was emphasized Friday.
Curtis spoke of the many countries that have downsized their reliance on nuclear, which jeopardizes their power grid.
Europe has eschewed fracking, and now is buying its energy from their enemies, Curtis said.
When it comes to nuclear, national security and the demands on the grid, Curtis said the United States is trailing.
AI data centers are knocking the doors of many states, including Utah, and there just isn’t the capacity to support what they require.
Fuel has to be affordable, reliable and clean, Curtis said, but the ability to get there now is a goal that can’t be reached. But it is coming, he stressed.
Panelists in break-out sessions universally emphasized the need to tap into innovation, get rid of permitting roadblocks and incentivize companies to be cutting edge with a clean product they can take to market that ultimately appeals to people’s wallets.
While the United States once led the world in nuclear power, its current rate of development is flat, said David Gatte, associate professor of engineering at the University of Georgia who specializes in the national security implications of U.S. nuclear power.
China, he said, has become a “nuclear reactor construction zone,” while the United States struggles.
Additionally, he said the fuel necessary for nuclear technology, high-assay enriched uranium, has been outsourced for production in Russia.
Gatte shook his head.
“I would like to be in the room with whoever made that decision.”
Gatte said there should be a federal competition of sorts by putting out the call to nuclear technology development companies to come up with the best and most practical design to move the United States forward again.
In another panel, Luigi Resta, president of rPlus Energies — who has been instrumental in driving energy transition across the country — said the problem, at times, is not with the technology that companies seek to deploy with renewable energy, but elsewhere.
“That’s not the problem. The problem is access to the transmission system and utilization of our transmission system,” he said.
There was universal agreement there needs to be an education effort aimed at the consumer about the importance of all these kinds of energy — and what it takes to turn the lights on.
One only needs to look to the southeast about the vulnerability of access to electricity, which can be wiped out in one catastrophic event.
“I think as an industry, we need to start doing a better job of saying, ‘Guys, if you want your lights on, we need to permit this transmission.’ If you want your lights to stay on reliably, we need this new natural gas plant, or this new solar plant or this new battery. And we have to, as an industry in the energy world, start doing a better job of say, got energy, let’s approve it,” Resta said.
It is important to build that awareness about what is happening around us, Katharine Hayhoe, The Nature Conservancy’s chief scientist said in an earlier statement.
“Utah is already experiencing the impacts of climate change: longer and more extreme droughts and heatwaves are affecting people’s livelihoods and the cost of living, while wildfire smoke and dust choke the air we breathe,” she said.
“While we must build resilience to the impacts already here today, we must also ensure we’re mitigating the risks of the future through investing in efficiency and clean energy solutions. These solutions not only create jobs and strengthen communities; they also offer a path to a more resilient and prosperous future. By taking action today, Utah can build a better future tomorrow.”