Heritage Foundation
The Heritage Foundation is a prominent conservative think tank based in Washington, D.C., established in 1973. It aims to formulate and advocate for public policies grounded in principles such as free enterprise, limited government, individual freedom, traditional values, and strong national defense. With over 500,000 members, the foundation conducts research across a variety of policy areas, including climate change and national defense. It is well-known for its influential publications, such as the "Mandate for Leadership," which has shaped conservative policy recommendations during various presidential administrations, including those of Ronald Reagan and Donald Trump.
The Heritage Foundation also engages in extensive analysis of proposed legislation, often challenging mainstream views on global warming. Its stance suggests that climate change is a concern rather than a crisis, downplaying the urgency and potential economic impacts of environmental regulations. Additionally, initiatives like Project 2025 outline strategies for future Republican administrations, reflecting the foundation's conservative ideology and policy preferences. As a significant player in U.S. public policy, the Heritage Foundation continues to shape debates on a range of issues, reflecting a commitment to its foundational principles while influencing contemporary political discourse.
Heritage Foundation
DATE: Established 1973
Mission
The Heritage Foundation is a conservative public policy research organization, or think tank, based in Washington, DC. It is widely supported, with more than 500,000 members, and it promotes conservative ideas and principles as solutions to current problems. The foundation maintains a database of policy experts, including those with expertise in global warming issues, and publishes summary statements and analyses of proposed climate change legislation. Its stated mission is to “formulate and promote public policies based on the principles of free enterprise, limited government, individual freedom, traditional values, and a strong national defense.” The Heritage Foundation was also the publisher of Project 2025, a nine-hundred-page political initiative meant to serve as a blueprint for the next Republican president to reorganize the federal government.
Using an executive summary format more likely to be read by government officials than other formats, the Heritage Foundation distills complicated topics into shorter policy papers. Historically, the foundation has had considerable political influence; it became prominent during the conservative era of Ronald Reagan’s presidency. Reagan’s policies were influenced by a foundation-published book, Mandate for Leadership (1981), that provided policy, budget, and administrative action recommendations and advocated limited government. Since 1981, the Heritage Foundation has published five additional editions. The 2016 edition of Mandate for Leadership was embraced by the administration of Donald Trump, which accepted 64 percent of its policy solutions. In 2020, the most recent version, Mandate 2020, was published. The foundation continues to play a significant role in public policy and is considered one of the most influential research organizations in the United States. In 2022, the Heritage Foundation presented itself as an outspoken opponent of President Joe Biden's border policies and handling of economic inflation.
Published by the Heritage Foundation in April 2022, Project 2025 is a conservative initiative written by two former Trump administration officials. The controversial political initiative contains four sections: a policy guide for the next Republican president; a database of personnel who could serve in the next administration; instructions for training these individuals; and a playbook of actions the president should take during the first 180 days in office. Project 2025 condemns abortion and reproductive rights, racial equality, and the rights of LGBTQ individuals and immigrants. The manifesto was frequently referenced by Democrats Joe Biden and Kamala Harris during the 2024 presidential campaign as an indication of the actions Trump would take if elected for a second term.
Significance for Climate Change
The Heritage Foundation researches a broad range of policy issues, including issues related to the environment and global warming. It maintains a searchable online database of policy experts at www.policyexperts.org that includes several renowned climate change skeptics. The foundation’s policy statements and legislative analysis related to climate change have included documents on greenhouse gas emissions and other issues related to global warming. Most statements published by the foundation argue against mainstream views of the severity and extent of global warming and downplay its potential impacts.
Policy statements issued by the Heritage Foundation suggest that proposed legislation directed toward mitigating global warming may be prohibitively expensive. The foundation concluded that the proposed Climate Security Bill of 2007 would have resulted in substantial costs for little gain. The foundation maintains that global warming is a concern, not a crisis, and that both the seriousness and imminence of the threat are overstated. The foundation’s viewpoint is that emissions contribute little to greenhouse gases and that climate variability has been present throughout the ages, with current temperatures within the range of natural variability rather than evidence of anthropogenic warming. The foundation acknowledges that Americans want a clean and safe environment but argues that it should not come at a cost to economic growth or individual freedom as a result of federal overreach.
This viewpoint was also conveyed in Project 2025. The guide advises the agencies that manage the country's land and water to extract greater amounts of oil and gas. It supports the construction of additional pipelines like Keystone XL and Dakota Access. The initiative also supports drilling in Alaska's National Wildlife Refuge and mining in Minnesota's Boundary Waters wilderness.
Bibliography
"About Heritage." The Heritage Foundation, 2024, www.heritage.org/about-heritage/mission. Accessed 11 Dec. 2024.
Ball, Molly. "The Fall of the Heritage Foundation and the Death of Republican Ideas." Atlantic. Atlantic Monthly, 25 Sept. 2013. Web. 24 Mar. 2015.
Darwall, Rupert. The Age of Global Warming: A History. London: Quartet, 2013. Print.
Ioffe, Julia. "A 31-Year-Old Is Tearing Apart the Heritage Foundation." New Republic. New Republic, 24 Sept. 2013. Web. 24 Mar. 2015.
"Mandate 2020." The Heritage Foundation, www.heritage.org/mandate-2020. Accessed 10 Dec. 2024.
McKibben, Bill. The Global Warming Reader: A Century of Writing about Climate Change. New York: Penguin, 2012. Print.
Moore, Stephen. "Climate Change Self-Delusion." Heritage Foundation. Heritage Foundation, 18 Nov. 2014. Web. 24 Mar. 2015.
"A Proactive Environmental Policy Agenda for Congress and the Administration." The Heritage Foundation, 2 Nov. 2020, www.heritage.org/environment/report/proactive-environmental-policy-agenda-congress-and-the-administration. Accessed 11 Dec. 2024.
Quinn, Melissa, and Jacob Rosen. "What Is Project 2025? What to Know About the Conservative Blueprint for a Second Trump Administration." CBS News, 8 Nov. 2024, www.cbsnews.com/news/what-is-project-2025-trump-conservative-blueprint-heritage-foundation/. Accessed 11 Dec. 2024.
Sozan, Michael, and Ben Olinky. "Project 2025 Would Destroy the US System of Checks and Balances and Create an Imperial Presidency." Center for American Progress, 1 Oct. 2024, www.americanprogress.org/article/project-2025-would-destroy-the-u-s-system-of-checks-and-balances-and-create-an-imperial-presidency/. Accessed 11 Dec. 2024.