By Patricia Scott
Many people were disappointed with the outcome of the recent COP25 climate negotiations in Madrid, Spain, which was designed to take the next steps needed in the UN climate change process.
Key issues were left unsettled and the conference ended without a strong call for ambitious climate commitments. Coming on the heels of reports of accelerating climate impacts, this news has left many with dwindling hope for a livable future.
That is perhaps the biggest threat of all. People are inspired to action when they have hope and a vision of an attainable future.
One organization often credited with fostering hope is Citizens’ Climate Lobby (CCL). It is a nonpartisan, grassroots group with over 168,000 U.S. supporters focused on passing national legislation to reduce carbon emissions. The core of CCL’s mission is to empower individuals to exercise their personal and political power to support effective climate solutions.
The monthly meetings of the local CCL chapter take place on the second Saturday of each month, from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. They are usually held at the L. E. Phillips Memorial Public Library in downtown Eau Claire.
CCL’s conference and Lobby Day in Washington, DC in November offered a view of the organization in action.
More than 800 attendees
A record 823 volunteers gathered for the two-day conference to ask members of Congress to support the Energy Innovation and Carbon Dividend Act (H.R. 763). This bill, introduced a year ago with bipartisan support, would significantly reduce carbon pollution by imposing a fee on fossil fuels and passing the revenue to households as a monthly dividend.
The conference was one of two that CCL hosts annually in Washington, D.C. to train volunteers to be more effective climate advocates. Typically, the first day or two are spent in educational sessions and then attendees put what they’ve learned into practice by spending the last day lobbying on Capitol Hill.
The training this time was thorough and included a legislative update, review of lobby team roles and etiquette, and logistics of getting to and from Capitol Hill.
Every attendee was assigned to three or four lobby teams of five to six members each. Each team had to meet to decide on roles and strategy for their member of Congress, so most peoples’ days were packed from breakfast to bedtime.
Nineteen attended from Wisconsin
Nineteen Wisconsinites attended the conference, each assigned to visit their own representative’s office and one Wisconsin Senate office. Most were also assigned at least one office outside the state. By day’s end, every office of a Wisconsin member of Congress had met with a CCL team.
In CCL style, each meeting started with an expression of appreciation before sharing information or making a specific ask. Building good relationships is considered key to growing support for H.R. 763 so volunteers try to listen for concerns and respond to them at least as much as they talk. All told, 486 of the 535 congressional offices received a CCL visit on Lobby Day, which ended with a closing reception for staff and volunteers.
Mark Reynolds, CCL’s Executive Director, reported there that H.R. 763 had added four new co-sponsors and the Senate’s bipartisan Climate Solutions Caucus gained a Republican member, Florida Sen. Marco Rubio.
When first-time lobbyists were invited to share their lobby experiences, a varied group of volunteers spoke (including two 11-year-olds) and the reports were overwhelmingly positive. Many found lobbying less daunting than they anticipated and were going home feeling more inspired and optimistic.
Because climate communication isn’t a one-size-fits-all proposition, CCL has developed two targeted programs. One supports campus climate leaders and the other aims to reach conservative voters.
The higher education program attracted 160 students to the conference while the conservative outreach brought enough conservatives to have one on many lobby teams for Republican offices. To strengthen that outreach and promote bipartisan support, CCL will host a Conservative Conference and Lobby Day in February.
Patricia Scott is co-leader of the Eau Claire chapter of the Citizens’ Climate Lobby and a member of JONAH’s environmental task force. She is also a member of the CVPost‘s board of directors.