How to advocate for climate change action

Climate change is an urgent problem that requires an urgent solution.
Climate change is an urgent problem that requires an urgent solution.
Image: Vicky leta / Mashable

As part of the 2019 Social Good Summit on Sept. 22, Mashable is tackling the climate change problem head on, highlighting the progress the world needs, and celebrating the experts making change happen.

It's easy to feel like we won't win the fight against climate change, especially when faced with the realities of a warming planet and the fact that the Trump administration fosters misinformation around climate science. 

Climate change is happening, though. Look no further than this past July, the warmest month in 140 years of record-keeping, the skyrocketing levels of atmospheric carbon dioxide, or the disappearing glaciers around the world. 

To combat warming temperatures we have to dramatically lower carbon emissions, according to the United Nation's Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC). That won't be easy

“Limiting warming to 1.5 C is possible within the laws of chemistry and physics but doing so would require unprecedented changes,” Jim Skea, a leading UN Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change scientist, said last year. 

But there is cause for hope, says Charlie Jiang. As a climate campaigner at Greenpeace, Jiang works with climate change advocacy organizations such as Zero Hour to confront fossil fuel companies and politicians standing in the way of transformative climate change action. One of Greenpeace's strategies is pressuring 2020 political candidates to publish comprehensive plans that invest in clean energy and phase out fossil fuels, without hurting workers.

"Amidst all the scary news that we're getting, it's a hopeful moment for bold transformation ... we deserve a better future than the one that our complacent politicians and the fossil-fuel billionaires are handing to us," Jiang says. 

Here's how you can join the tide against the climate crisis.

1. Get involved in climate change strikes 

Uniting together across demographics can be one of the most impactful strategies in the fight to stop the effects of climate change, Jiang says. 

On Friday, Sept. 20 and Friday, Sept. 27, for example, adults and students around the world will leave their workplaces and schools to participate in two global climate strikes. A week of action is planned between the two strikes. Millions are expected to join in the actions and strikes from more than 1,000 locations in the U.S. and in 150 countries around the world, a spokesperson from U.S. Youth Climate Strike Coalition says. 

You can find a protest near you by visiting the websites for the U.S. Youth Climate Strike Coalition or the Global Climate Strike

If you want to do more than just show up to strike, the Global Climate Strike website offers a wealth of resources including tips to promote the strike on social media and graphics for posters, flyers, and buttons. It even has toolkits that specific groups like employees or faith-based groups can use to encourage others to join.

If you want to take part but can't find one where you live, the U.S. Youth Climate Strike Coalition has a comprehensive document that anyone looking to organize their own climate change protest on Friday can use. The Global Climate Strike offers similar resources. You can also use these teachings to plan future strikes throughout the year. 

2. Research politicians' voting history

Know elected officials' track records helps you make an informed vote during elections. And avoid voting a climate denier into office.

The non-partisan research organization Vote Smart has an app called OnPoint, which allows people  to learn about their congressional member's votes on certain issues like climate change. On the app, environmental advocacy groups such as Greenpeace and Environment America rate each member on climate change issues. The app also compiles statements made by politicians from social media, during press conferences, and in debates. 

For state and local races, check out Vote411's voter guide, which contains information about ballot measures, as well as candidates' positions on a variety of issues. You can also see candidates answer questions about topics important to them and your community, so you can note if they prioritize climate change in their answers. 

The League of Conservation Voters, an organization that advocates for environmental laws and works to elect pro-environmental candidates, scores Congress members on their environmental records and assigns both the House and the Senate an average rating. 

3. Speak to elected officials

Beyond voting, you can also talk to elected officials about the specific climate change issues you care about. 

For example, carbon-pricing bills place a fee on carbon and, in some cases, other fossil fuels, to encourage sustainable energy alternatives and reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Cities or states can also mandate that a certain percentage of their energy come from carbon-free sources, like the plan New York recently agreed to pass.

Look to see if your state or local government is considering bills like these and contact the appropriate politician to let them know why you support it.

Calling them, for example, can be impactful, and it's easy to find politicians' contact information with a quick Google search. 

"If they [a state lawmaker] receive five calls in a day about a single issue, that is an avalanche of calls," says Jamie DeMarco, who works with the environmental grassroots organization Citizens' Climate Lobby (CCL) to push through state-level climate change bills. 

"We need everyone taking action to demand our leaders commit to stand up to the fossil fuel industry."

The key is to band together with others to more easily deluge a politician's office with calls, he says.    

If you prefer speaking with congressional members in person, CCL trains people to lobby their senators and representatives on climate change, both in D.C. and in volunteers' home states. Volunteers speak with congressional members face-to-face about bills they want the members to support. This might seem radical but can be very effective, says Steve Valk, CCL's communications director. 

If you're interested in joining this effort, you can find a CCL chapter in your area.

Check if your state has an office, commission, or committee that focuses on climate change and if the public can attend. You can also go to congressional members' town hall meetings. Usually there's time for the audience to express their concerns and ask questions, Valk says. 

Ultimately, the world needs us to get involved.

"We need everyone taking action to demand our leaders commit to stand up to the fossil fuel industry," Jiang says.