Public Lands Policy Become Climate Policy—and the Midterms Decide Both

In 2026, Americans will recognize that the future of public lands depends as much on climate policy and elections as on traditional conservation. For too long, we’ve treated public lands as a stand-alone issue about access and protection. Record heat, megafires, and flood-soaked communities now make it unmistakably clear that preserving these places requires cutting emissions.

In the year ahead, the public-lands community will shift from defending individual landscapes to confronting the larger forces reshaping them. The most consequential decisions won’t resemble classic land-use debates. They will be policies that bend the emissions curve, modernize forest and fire management, accelerate responsibly sited clean-energy and transmission projects, and expand co-management models that pair cultural stewardship with climate resilience.

Decarbonization is a more complex and politically charged arena, but without it, the wild landscapes we love will not endure. Protecting them now depends on electing leaders willing to stand up to fossil-fuel interests and build the clean energy economy required for their survival. Who we elect will determine the fate of America’s public lands. The 2026 midterms will be a defining moment for their future.