Understanding the Role of Climate Skepticism in Climate Change Adaptation: A Case Study of Western U.S. Ranchers

Rangelands cover over 50% of the land surface area in the western United States, providing important economic, social, and environmental benefits. The resilience of western rangelands, however, is increasingly threat-ened by climate change impacts. Although climate skepticism among agricultural producers is often cited as a barrier to adaptation, emerging evidence suggests that producers adapt regardless of climate beliefs. This raises critical questions about the relationship between climate beliefs and adaptive behavior. To investigate this relationship, we conducted semistructured interviews with 23 ranchers in Idaho, Montana, and Oregon to examine how they perceive, experience, and adapt to climate change. We found that ranchers’ understanding of climate change is more complex than a binary belief in or rejection of climate change. Most ranchers doubted anthropogenic climate change yet de-scribed detailed observations of a changing climate. Ranchers adopted a range of adaptation strategies but did not at-tribute these behaviors to climate change. We identified recurring themes, including climate politicization, regulatory fear and perceived powerlessness, and reframing of responsibility, that illustrate the sociopolitical context shaping these seemingly contradictory positions. Climate skepticism may function as a mechanism for managing dissonance, allowing ranchers to reconcile personal observations of environmental change with dominant community beliefs while preserving their personal identity. Our findings challenge binary framings of belief and behavior and highlight the need for culturally grounded climate communication strategies. We recommend investments in localized climate serv-ices, coproduced policies, and outreach that emphasize the cobenefits of adaptation and risk management while aligning with ranchers’ values and identities. SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENT: Ranchers steward much of the working lands in the American West, making their decisions central to rangeland resilience under climate change. Our study examines how climate beliefs relate to adaptation and which social factors shape responses. Interviews conducted in Idaho, Montana, and Oregon show that while many ranchers doubt human-caused climate change, they describe shifting seasons and adapt in multiple ways. In practice, climate change adaptation often occurs independent of beliefs and is filtered through politicization, regulatory fear, and moral obligations of land stewardship; risk management is rarely ascribed to climate change. Our findings demonstrate that climate skepticism does not preclude action but instead reflects cultural and political pressures shaping how ranchers engage with climate change. Future research should examine which communication strategies and codesigned climate adaptation policies}aligned with ranchers’ values and identities}can effectively sustain adaptation.