What Is Eco-Conservatism?
Green conservatism is a combination of conservatism with environmentalism. Environmental concern has been voiced by both conservative politicians and philosophers throughout the history of conservatism. Part of the Green family.
Definition
Green conservatism is a combination of conservatism with environmentalism. Environmental concern has been voiced by both conservative politicians and philosophers throughout the history of conservatism.
Definition quoted from Wikipedia: Green conservatism (text available under CC BY-SA 4.0; checked October 20, 2026).
Core ideas
- Stewardship of nature and heritage.
- Local and community-based protection.
- Market and voluntary approaches.
Associated thinkers and leaders
Roger Scruton
Core ideas, origins and thinkers: Atlas summary.
Where Eco-Conservatism sits on the Atlas maps
| Map dimension | Score (0–100) | Position | Reading |
|---|---|---|---|
| Economic Collective / planned ↔ Market | 46 | near the center | |
| Social Progressive ↔ Traditional | 78 | toward traditional | |
| Authority Libertarian ↔ Authoritarian | 30 | toward libertarian | |
| National identity Cosmopolitan ↔ Nationalist | 77 | toward nationalist | |
| Foreign policy Non-intervention ↔ Intervention | 12 | strongly toward non-intervention |
All nine underlying dimensions
| Dimension | Score | Reading |
|---|---|---|
| Economic ownership Collective ownership ↔ Private ownership | 64 | near the center |
| Civil liberties Civil liberty ↔ State restrictions | 39 | near the center |
| National identity Cosmopolitan ↔ Nationalist | 77 | toward nationalist |
| Social and cultural values Progressive ↔ Traditionalist | 86 | strongly toward traditionalist |
| Political governance Democratic ↔ Autocratic | 22 | toward democratic |
| Equality and hierarchy Egalitarian ↔ Hierarchical | 64 | near the center |
| Economic management Free market ↔ State planning | 80 | toward state planning |
| Military intervention Non-intervention ↔ Intervention | 12 | strongly toward non-intervention |
| Religion and government Secular state ↔ Religious authority | 61 | near the center |
These positions are estimates on the Atlas’s nine-dimension scale, produced by running the tradition’s core principles through the same questions and scoring used for test-takers. They are interpretations for comparison, not objective measurements. How scores are made.
Estimated positions on key questions
| Statement | Position | Basis |
|---|---|---|
| Opposition parties should be free to compete in elections. | Strongly agrees | estimated from doctrine |
| The means of production should ultimately be owned collectively. | Strongly disagrees | estimated from doctrine |
| People should be free to criticize the government without fear of legal punishment. | Strongly agrees | estimated from doctrine |
| A national religious authority should have the power to veto legislation. | Strongly disagrees | estimated from doctrine |
| Military power should be used proactively when serious external threats are emerging. | Strongly disagrees | estimated from doctrine |
| National borders should become less important over time. | Strongly disagrees | estimated from doctrine |
| Traditional values should guide what society considers right and wrong. | Strongly agrees | estimated from doctrine |
| Markets generally distribute goods more effectively than government planners. | Strongly disagrees | estimated from doctrine |
| Class distinctions should gradually disappear. | Strongly disagrees | estimated from doctrine |
| Businesses should generally set prices without government intervention. | Strongly disagrees | estimated from doctrine |
Related ideologies
Main differences from the closest ideologies
- Compared with Agrarianism, Eco-Conservatism sits 12 points further toward collective / planned on the economic dimension.
- Compared with Agrarian Conservatism, Eco-Conservatism sits 16 points further toward collective / planned on the economic dimension.
- Compared with Paternalistic Conservatism, Eco-Conservatism sits 26 points further toward non-intervention on the foreign policy dimension.
Figures with the closest estimated positions
Closeness of estimated positions only; this does not mean these people identify with Eco-Conservatism.
Sources
- Wikipedia: Green conservatism
- Wikipedia: Eco-Conservatism (Wikipedia search)
- Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy: Conservatism
- Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy: Environmental Ethics
Position last reviewed: not yet reviewed individually.