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The Conservative Environmentalist: Common Sense Solutions for a Sustainable Future
A young, conservative environmentalist provides an intrepid vision for both solving our climate crisis and prioritizing the American national interest.
Politicians, pseudo-experts, and other partisans have led us to believe that there are only two approaches to climate doomerism or denial. Benji Backer, Founder and Executive Chairman of the American Conservation Coalition, argues that both are dead ends. In The Conservative Environmentalist, he delivers an entirely new strategy to take care of the planet while putting put the economic interest of the American people first.
Backer makes the compelling case that conservative principles are the key to climate solutions that actually work. In this book, you’ll visit the country’s most diverse ecosystems and consequential manufacturing hubs—from Utah coal mines and Texas oil fields to Louisiana wetlands and Rhode Island offshore wind farms—witnessing the power of individual entrepreneurship and local problem-solving. You’ll be inspired by groundbreaking efforts to strengthen earth’s ecosystems (that Green New Dealers and other Big Government advocates would prefer to keep hidden), like partnerships between oil and gas companies and environmental nonprofits to preserve thousands of acres of wetlands.
Drawing on cutting-edge science, a deep understanding of local community needs, and his experience rallying politicians on both sides of the aisle to take action, Backer offers hope for everyone who cares about the state of the great outdoors. Fascinating, clear-headed, and full of surprises, The Conservative Environmentalist is the fresh, audacious approach needed to ensure a sustainable future, and particularly one that works for America.
Politicians, pseudo-experts, and other partisans have led us to believe that there are only two approaches to climate doomerism or denial. Benji Backer, Founder and Executive Chairman of the American Conservation Coalition, argues that both are dead ends. In The Conservative Environmentalist, he delivers an entirely new strategy to take care of the planet while putting put the economic interest of the American people first.
Backer makes the compelling case that conservative principles are the key to climate solutions that actually work. In this book, you’ll visit the country’s most diverse ecosystems and consequential manufacturing hubs—from Utah coal mines and Texas oil fields to Louisiana wetlands and Rhode Island offshore wind farms—witnessing the power of individual entrepreneurship and local problem-solving. You’ll be inspired by groundbreaking efforts to strengthen earth’s ecosystems (that Green New Dealers and other Big Government advocates would prefer to keep hidden), like partnerships between oil and gas companies and environmental nonprofits to preserve thousands of acres of wetlands.
Drawing on cutting-edge science, a deep understanding of local community needs, and his experience rallying politicians on both sides of the aisle to take action, Backer offers hope for everyone who cares about the state of the great outdoors. Fascinating, clear-headed, and full of surprises, The Conservative Environmentalist is the fresh, audacious approach needed to ensure a sustainable future, and particularly one that works for America.
254 pages, Kindle Edition
Published April 16, 2024
31 people are currently reading
451 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 28 of 28 reviews
January 6, 2025
While I agree with the foundational premise of the books argument, the environment is a issue that transcends partisan divides, the authors bias towards conservative ideas is clear. He admits that it’s important to be responsive to new and innovative ideas, but seems to shun those that don’t fit his narrative. Some ideas and statistics that he incorporates don’t seem to have much evidence backing them, including shaming democratic governors but saying florida and georgias governors are environmental champions. With this said, there were some important descriptions of climate problems that don’t make the front page.
May 10, 2024
Contrary to what’s being told by the msm, the radical left and the Biden administration, conservatives (particularly conservative millennials) DO believe and are concerned about climate change. This book is proof of that. Benji Backer is an excellent spokesman for people, like me, who are conservative and right-leaning but feel strongly about the well fair of our beautiful planet and its resources.
You do have to have an open mind when reading this book, but Backer gives plenty of reasonable solutions that could work to fight climate change if given a chance.
You do have to have an open mind when reading this book, but Backer gives plenty of reasonable solutions that could work to fight climate change if given a chance.
January 19, 2025
This book has an important and powerful thesis: climate change should not be a partisan issue, and contrary to prevailing narratives environmentalism is aligned with conservative politics. However, the book fails to live up to that thesis. Benji instead cherry-picks under-researched, simplistic examples that support his views, promote his organization, and critique democrats. He cannot escape the politics he purports to destroy. A stronger version of this book would have acknowledged republicans’ role in spreading climate change denialism and capitalism’s role in causing climate change. When I finished, I was horrified to think this guy has testified before Congress about any environmental issues. Maybe climate change wouldn’t be a partisan issue if republicans didn’t make it one.
May 20, 2025
Respect him for challenging the dinosaurs of Conservatism on a significant question. Main shortcoming is zero mention of how importing millions of carbon-emitting organisms in the name of economic growth and diversity has rapidly destroyed our landscapes in America.
May 29, 2024
Absolutely an imperative book for Americans (from all political stripes). It doesn't fit the mainstream narrative from either party, but that's part of the reason it's so powerful.
May 2, 2024
Excellent book about climate solutions that conservatives should support! Shows how the green transition can benefit both rural and urban communities.
August 6, 2024
Where to begin?
The book needs some serious editing. The writing is sloppy and the book could have been easily twenty pages shorter and a lot sharper if the superfluous writing was all cut out. He's a recent college grad, so he's probably still in the mindset of "how can I stretch three pages of material into a five-page paper." He also doesn't really know who his audience is - he at one point deep in the book says he talks to the reader as if they were undoubtedly a young conservative, but that wasn't the assumption up to that point. Maybe a second edition will fix these problems.
He early on takes a swipe at Rep. AOC and Sen. Sanders that were just vitriol. "We hate these guys, amiright?" sort of nonsense. He talks about the need for bipartisan solutions, but often dips into this sort of tribal silliness.
His conservative ideology often clouds his judgement. He knows that we have serious environmental issues, and comes close to saying what really needs to happen, but can't make the jump to saying out loud that unfettered capitalism is a problem. Capitalism is disruptive to families, communities, and the environment- it may have been a good choice during the Cold War, but real conservatives know we need to keep capitalism on a short leash.
The one and only environmental issue he's concerned with is climate change. It's the largest and tied to so many other issues, but this view is myopic, and particularly when tied to a capitalism mindset, will end with terrible results. He argues against wildness! It's insane.
On the other hand - this is the sort of book that needs to be written. Young conservatives don't buy the knee jerk anti-science and anti-environment messaging of the last twenty years of "conservative" thought leaders. Hopefully this is a step in the right direction.
The book needs some serious editing. The writing is sloppy and the book could have been easily twenty pages shorter and a lot sharper if the superfluous writing was all cut out. He's a recent college grad, so he's probably still in the mindset of "how can I stretch three pages of material into a five-page paper." He also doesn't really know who his audience is - he at one point deep in the book says he talks to the reader as if they were undoubtedly a young conservative, but that wasn't the assumption up to that point. Maybe a second edition will fix these problems.
He early on takes a swipe at Rep. AOC and Sen. Sanders that were just vitriol. "We hate these guys, amiright?" sort of nonsense. He talks about the need for bipartisan solutions, but often dips into this sort of tribal silliness.
His conservative ideology often clouds his judgement. He knows that we have serious environmental issues, and comes close to saying what really needs to happen, but can't make the jump to saying out loud that unfettered capitalism is a problem. Capitalism is disruptive to families, communities, and the environment- it may have been a good choice during the Cold War, but real conservatives know we need to keep capitalism on a short leash.
The one and only environmental issue he's concerned with is climate change. It's the largest and tied to so many other issues, but this view is myopic, and particularly when tied to a capitalism mindset, will end with terrible results. He argues against wildness! It's insane.
On the other hand - this is the sort of book that needs to be written. Young conservatives don't buy the knee jerk anti-science and anti-environment messaging of the last twenty years of "conservative" thought leaders. Hopefully this is a step in the right direction.
August 10, 2024
This is a well-written, well-researched book on conservative solutions to climate change. My views are mostly liberal, and I checked out this book to see what smart people are saying from the conservative side.
I would give the book five stars if it didn't have so many factual mistakes. I don't think these are intentional, and they aren't misleading, but they make me wonder how many other statements in the book aren't true. For example,
On page 142, the author writes, "Nuclear energy already makes up 20 percent of the US electricity supply, which is over half of our zero-carbon electricity. This means that if we were to double our nuclear output to replace other electricity sources, then all of our electricity would be clean." This math doesn't add up. If nuclear is 20%, and that's half of all clean energy sources, then the other clean sources are 20%. If we double nuclear to 40%, then the new total of clean energy would be 40% + 20% = 60%, not 100%.
On the next page, when talking about an up-and-coming nuclear fission company, Oklo, he says, "this type of efficiency is a far cry from fusion reactors of yesteryear". I think he means "fission", not "fusion". Fusion is still in the research phase. All historical nuclear power plants are fission power plants.
A bit later in the book, the author says, "in 2018 alone, global tree cover removed 37.1 metric tons of CO2 from the atmosphere". 37 metric tons is too small of a number to be the global total... I think he might have accidentally omitted "million" or "billion". A quick internet search shows that trees remove roughly 8 billion tons of CO2 per year.
Despite these mistakes, it was refreshing to read a conservative point of view that is [mostly] factual, well-researched, and respectful. I appreciate the work that the author is doing, and I hope it helps to de-politicize environmental issues, which should not be partisan.
I would give the book five stars if it didn't have so many factual mistakes. I don't think these are intentional, and they aren't misleading, but they make me wonder how many other statements in the book aren't true. For example,
On page 142, the author writes, "Nuclear energy already makes up 20 percent of the US electricity supply, which is over half of our zero-carbon electricity. This means that if we were to double our nuclear output to replace other electricity sources, then all of our electricity would be clean." This math doesn't add up. If nuclear is 20%, and that's half of all clean energy sources, then the other clean sources are 20%. If we double nuclear to 40%, then the new total of clean energy would be 40% + 20% = 60%, not 100%.
On the next page, when talking about an up-and-coming nuclear fission company, Oklo, he says, "this type of efficiency is a far cry from fusion reactors of yesteryear". I think he means "fission", not "fusion". Fusion is still in the research phase. All historical nuclear power plants are fission power plants.
A bit later in the book, the author says, "in 2018 alone, global tree cover removed 37.1 metric tons of CO2 from the atmosphere". 37 metric tons is too small of a number to be the global total... I think he might have accidentally omitted "million" or "billion". A quick internet search shows that trees remove roughly 8 billion tons of CO2 per year.
Despite these mistakes, it was refreshing to read a conservative point of view that is [mostly] factual, well-researched, and respectful. I appreciate the work that the author is doing, and I hope it helps to de-politicize environmental issues, which should not be partisan.
November 14, 2024
I saw this book at my neighborhood library and was intrigued by the title. Given the binary, zero-sum, scorched earth nature of politics today, it seems harder than ever to find common ground on the environment. I appreciate the author's earnest efforts to do that, especially now, given the reality of a second Trump administration. I hope policymakers on both sides can somehow make progress on common sense ways to provide a cleaner and safer future for our planet, though that's certainly a tall order. Not sure how many conservative environmentalists are out there, but I guess we'll find out soon.
"Turn on Fox News and you'll hear the argument that if China is increasing its emissions, building more coal plants every day, and using dirty energy to mine the minerals needed for EV batteries and PVs, then why should we even try to do anything about climate change? Switch the channel to MSNBC, and you'll be told that in response to China's lead in the clean energy race, America should sprint ahead with our own mining and solar panel production. Both sides are conveniently leaving out certain aspects of the debate on what to do. Their oversimplification of what's happening in global clean energy impedes progress because it does not take into account all of the trade-offs that are involved." p84
"Turn on Fox News and you'll hear the argument that if China is increasing its emissions, building more coal plants every day, and using dirty energy to mine the minerals needed for EV batteries and PVs, then why should we even try to do anything about climate change? Switch the channel to MSNBC, and you'll be told that in response to China's lead in the clean energy race, America should sprint ahead with our own mining and solar panel production. Both sides are conveniently leaving out certain aspects of the debate on what to do. Their oversimplification of what's happening in global clean energy impedes progress because it does not take into account all of the trade-offs that are involved." p84
October 18, 2024
Backer is such a poor author that his good points get lost in the haze.
Those good points include bottom-up innovation and, relatedly, the need to avoid nationwide regulations that don't take into account the vast physical and economic diversity of this country. Backer also realizes the important role that fossil fuels will continue to play for the foreseeable future.
But there's a lot here that isn't "conservative" by any stretch of the imagination. I got tired of reading paeans to the Inflation "Reduction" Act, for instance. And why the love for offshore wind? Or worse, Uncle Sam's propensity to throw gobs of money at favored parties instead of allowing the market to work?
I could go on, but this is giving me a stomachache. Backer may not be in the thrall of those obsessed with the Green New Deal. That doesn't make him a conservative.
Those good points include bottom-up innovation and, relatedly, the need to avoid nationwide regulations that don't take into account the vast physical and economic diversity of this country. Backer also realizes the important role that fossil fuels will continue to play for the foreseeable future.
But there's a lot here that isn't "conservative" by any stretch of the imagination. I got tired of reading paeans to the Inflation "Reduction" Act, for instance. And why the love for offshore wind? Or worse, Uncle Sam's propensity to throw gobs of money at favored parties instead of allowing the market to work?
I could go on, but this is giving me a stomachache. Backer may not be in the thrall of those obsessed with the Green New Deal. That doesn't make him a conservative.
November 4, 2024
Thesis: Climate change mitigation measures should be evolutionary rather than revolutionary. The solution to the crisis includes EVs, solar panels, carbon sequestration, restorative farming, reducing food waste, geo-thermal energy, nuclear energy, composting, government- private partnerships, and providing farmers with the subsidies to reduce bad farming practices.
What I liked: the book was quite specific and provides the readers with the measure they can take to fight the crisis. It provides a middle way for both on the right and the left that tries to avoid dismissal on one side and alarmism on the other side.
What I disliked: the book seemed to put the emphasis a bit more on solar and wind energy for my taste
Overall, 3.6!
What I liked: the book was quite specific and provides the readers with the measure they can take to fight the crisis. It provides a middle way for both on the right and the left that tries to avoid dismissal on one side and alarmism on the other side.
What I disliked: the book seemed to put the emphasis a bit more on solar and wind energy for my taste
Overall, 3.6!
November 18, 2024
I had really looked forward to reading this but was disappointed. The author bipartisan solutions are what we need, and I agree, but he spends a lot of time attacking the other side without presenting a better solution. Exploring innovative ideas is one thing and is what is intended to be the purpose of this book but it fails.
Preservationists are called childish at one point and suggests our national parks should be further opened up for resource exploitation. These sorts of proposals allow us to sit back and not change our lifestyles, to further kick the can down the road, which is exactly what we cannot do if we are to create lasting environmental solutions.
Preservationists are called childish at one point and suggests our national parks should be further opened up for resource exploitation. These sorts of proposals allow us to sit back and not change our lifestyles, to further kick the can down the road, which is exactly what we cannot do if we are to create lasting environmental solutions.
October 21, 2024
Appreciated the various solutions and less glamorous ideas that Benji outlined in the book. It’s certainly a narrative not usually talked about in main stream media or in politics. Each chapter covers a lot of ground, not necessarily focusing in on one idea. I think will a little editing it might hit a little harder. While the writing could be improved, the ideas are valuable and Benji seems dedicated to bringing people together and willing to incorporate new information as he’s constantly learning.
February 14, 2025
3.5/5 - Decent policy read dragged down by average writing and repetitive topics of discussion. The book puts into focus a variety of bipartisan environmental policy ideas and makes the case for a multifaceted energy policy that encourages innovation and incentives, powers every American home and protects the beautiful landscape of our country. Unfortunately, the author often repeats topics, making it seem like you've read the section you're on earlier in the book and while the book overall isn't boring, the writing style did bore me at times.
October 11, 2024
I honestly found this book to be fascinating, being someone who cares about the environment a lot but knows little to nothing about what’s ‘good’ and ‘bad’ in the climate change/environmental world. I would also say it’s a very bipartisan book, and is only titled this because conservatives are the ones Benji Backer is urging to get on board with protecting the environment better. No matter your lean, a very informative read!
November 6, 2025
If I could I would give it a 3.75.
First kudos to a conservative recognizing climate change and seeking a Bipartisanship solutions. Disagreed with anything sacrificing public lands especially public lands to private equity. Did agree with great points about nuclear energy and the colossal failure the green new deal would’ve been which the author backed up with data.
Interesting worthy read if you’re passionate about climate change, protecting public lands, or outdoorsmen.
First kudos to a conservative recognizing climate change and seeking a Bipartisanship solutions. Disagreed with anything sacrificing public lands especially public lands to private equity. Did agree with great points about nuclear energy and the colossal failure the green new deal would’ve been which the author backed up with data.
Interesting worthy read if you’re passionate about climate change, protecting public lands, or outdoorsmen.
April 27, 2024
you wouldn't expect the recommendation to "charge the phone during the peak hours of sunlight so that you don’t use up valuable stored energy that can be used at night" in a book with the subtitle: "Common Sense Solutions for a Sustainable Future". You don't need to be a climate scientist to see that that's not good enough.
March 10, 2025
Benji brings a light to a “new” (or perhaps relatively unknown) perspective to the conversation of environmentalism. This read is digestible and entertaining- a beacon of hope for the future of our planet and our generation. The entire read felt reasonable and level-headed, rejecting fear-mongering narratives we frequently hear in the media surrounding climate change. This book emphasizes the importance of compromise and trade-offs for many realistic approaches to how both parties can come to the table to collaborate on new innovations, ideas, practices and technologies that can help save and protect our planet.
June 10, 2025
I appreciate what he was trying to do, but it is a poorly written book. Most of his proposals are not that remarkable. He strawmans progressives and opposing positions constantly and presents well known and well established facts and issues as some brilliant revelations that nobody knows. He also seems well behind the times in his knowledge of technology. Just not well done.
May 2, 2024
Thought provoking, well-written, relatable, and a breath of fresh air in an incredibly divided political climate. An important read no matter where you fall on the political spectrum.
June 11, 2024
‘Outdoors Man’ tells you how his solution is the best way.
Read
July 11, 2024tbh i skimmed the whole book for about 1.5 hrs and i gotta say he’s making some very valid points
December 28, 2024
S1V1L1
December 31, 2024
pretty good, interesting perspective, but kind of repetitive
May 15, 2025
He at one point praises Desantis for his climate efforts and like...the Internet exists, pleighboi.
October 22, 2025
A well-defended, fresh take on how to make environmental progress. Title is misleading because the solutions are nonpartisan. Backer is an important voice. Happy to support this young leader.
November 13, 2025
Completely US centric writing about a problem that affects everyone. No quantitatively new ideas. Yawn.
April 21, 2025
Though I did learn about some new forms of renewable energy and the vast infrastructure already in place to kickstart endeavors, I think the author underestimates the actors in place that are doing so much damage to the environment. There’s a vast network in place to essentially ensure its destruction at the tax payers expense… super sad.
But nevertheless, Mr. Backers ideas are worth considering.
I wish Colorado would unleash its geothermal potential.
But nevertheless, Mr. Backers ideas are worth considering.
I wish Colorado would unleash its geothermal potential.
Displaying 1 - 28 of 28 reviews