On today’s Longleaf Politics Podcast, I sat down with former Congressman Bob Inglis — a Duke grad, a six-term Republican from South Carolina, and now the head of RepublicEN, which bills itself as a conservative answer on climate.
Climate is one of those topics where conservatives hear “the world is ending” and tune out. Inglis says that’s a mistake — not because we’re all doomed, but because conservatives should be comfortable talking about risk and insurance policies.
He argues we’re in the middle of an “electrification revolution,” and whether you love EVs or hate them, global competition is pushing the world in that direction.
Where we started to diverge is on the solution. RepublicEN is backing a carbon tax, where fossil fuel producers pay for the emissions they put into the atmosphere.
In one sense, it makes sense. Price in the externalities and the market will adjust. I’m still not sure this will work. But it’s exactly the kind of specific, concrete proposal Republicans almost never hear from their own side on climate anymore, which is why this part of the conversation is worth your time.
If you’ve ever wanted to hear a conservative make a forward-looking case on climate without the usual theatrics, this is the conversation.
