Project title: CONSERVative: Climate Policy and Conservatism
Project description: Are conservative values fundamentally antithetical to ecological goals? Right-wing beliefs have consistently been used to hinder climate action, though this opposition may not be inherent to the ideology. I will first conduct a study of implicit and explicit ecological dimensions of foundational 20th century American conservative philosophers like William F. Buckley Jr. and Russell Kirk. Drawing from this philosophical analysis, I will develop policy briefs that frame climate policies through a conservative value lens. To evaluate the efficacy of these appeals, I will survey conservative college students to assess if the framing can shift climate attitudes. My project ultimately hopes to explore the impacts of principle-based communication on conservative climate opinion and the potential for value-aligned messaging to reshape conservative interaction with environmental issues.
Most important achivement: Still working on it!
Reflections on the College Scholar Program: I love how the program has given me the opportunity to explore my disparate academic interests and the space to find a way to fit them together. The connections with faculty and peers in the program have been invaluable, and I look forward to learning as much as I can!