Don’t forget rural America in the fight against climate change

Rural Americans don’t care about the environment. They are uneducated climate deniers. It is the people who are destroying the environment: the farmers, the miners, the foresters and the ranchers. If we are serious about solving climate change, they will have to find new jobs. We have no choice but to leave them behind.

Or so we are told.

As a native Wisconsinite, I know firsthand how misunderstood rural America feels when it comes to climate change. For decades, environmental leaders have spoken to communities like mine, shaming and blaming the very people they depend on for food, energy, manufacturing and so much more.

Contrary to what we hear, rural America is not in denial about climate change and other critical environmental issues. Instead, hard-working people feel abandoned by policymakers. They fear that their livelihood and their community will be taken away from them. They are tired of being excluded from the dialogue – and being told that they are the enemy. Most of all, they feel like their priorities are not being taken into account. While they tried to put food on the table (and got broadband internet 20 years later than most of the country), they were met with unrealistic demands, regulations, and mandates from leaders thousands of miles away. As they risk their lives to empower and feed us, they are vilified.

The truth is that rural America is deeply connected to nature, much more so than their urban and suburban counterparts. Farmers, ranchers and foresters have a personal interest in protecting the environment because their livelihoods literally depend on it. With nature as their backyard, it is also their means to relax and connect with their community. Over the past seven years, I have visited hundreds of rural communities to find climate solutions. It became crystal clear that they are the most crucial partner in our fight against climate change.

In the small town of Blanding, Utah, a uranium mine and mineral processing center (the only one left in the United States) has become the lifeblood of the local community. In West Virginia, coal-fired power plants are being converted to nuclear and other renewable facilities to support the workforce. In coastal states like Louisiana, duck hunters are working with environmental nonprofits to protect coastlines from the impacts of climate change, sequester more carbon and restore critical wildlife habitat. In agriculture-heavy states like Wisconsin and Iowa, farmers are innovatively converting cow manure into renewable natural gas, resulting in an additional income stream for their families.

The demand for energy, food and resources continues to increase. The practical experience of rural communities will be an essential part of meeting them and securing our pro-climate future. The solution is not to ask these communities to stop, but rather to work with them to develop cleaner and more efficient methods together.

This recognition has recently led to action. The Inflation Reduction Act is expected to bring 67,000 new jobs and tens of billions of dollars in new investment to rural areas. Yet these communities are reluctant to embrace the financing. That’s largely because they are skeptical of the sudden overreach of the very people who have ignored and vilified them for decades. Rural communities could ultimately benefit immensely, but initially they did not have a seat at the table. That is the problem.

By comparison, the Growing Climate Solutions Act, which incentivizes farmers, ranchers and foresters to reduce emissions, passed the U.S. Senate on a 92-8 vote with bipartisan support. Why? Rural communities, lawmakers and organizations worked together on the legislation from the start.

To solve climate change and create a sustainable future, we must bridge our country’s geographic divide, and that starts by making the 60 million Americans who live and work in rural communities an important voice in the conversation. It will take time to earn their trust, but it is definitely worth the time spent. Understanding their concerns and aspirations and harnessing their unique capabilities and knowledge will yield rich, multigenerational rewards for the entire country.

Benji Backer is founder and executive chairman of the American Conservation Coalition, and author of The Conservative Environmentalist: Common Sense Solutions for a Sustainable Future (Sentinel, April 16). To follow: @BenjiBacker

The views expressed in this article are those of the author.