Climate Advocacy

Climate advocacy is the term for activities that concerned citizens undertake to support action on climate change.

It involves working with government officials, businesses, and other organizations to try and create a sustainable future.

Climate advocacy can take many different forms, from writing letters to the editor and participating in rallies to investing in clean, renewable, and sustainable energy.

Understanding Climate Change

Climate change refers to a change in the average conditions — such as rainfall and temperature — in a specific region over a long period of time.

For instance, much of the United States was covered in glaciers 20,000 years ago. Today, the United States has a warmer climate and fewer glaciers.

Global climate change is the average long-term change that occurs over the entire Earth. These include changes in precipitation and warming temperatures, as well as the Earth's warming effects, such as:

• Shrinking mountain glaciers

• Ice is melting more rapidly than usual in Antarctica, Greenland, and the Arctic

• Rising sea levels

• Changes in plant and flower blooming times.

Earth's climate has been evolving — even before humans came into the picture. However, scientists have discovered unusual changes recently.

For instance, the Earth's average temperature has been rapidly increasing more than expected over the past 150 years.

Further, the burning of fossil fuels adds more and more carbon dioxide (CO2) into the atmosphere. As a result, it builds up like a blanket that traps heat worldwide and disrupts the Earth's climate system.

Over 97% of climate scientists recognized that this is happening and is primarily human-caused.

Goals of Climate Advocacy

The goals of climate advocacy are to:

• Strengthen the commitments the USA made in the Paris Agreement

• Educate the public about what is happening with the climate and why it matters

• Transition from the use of oil, coal, and natural gas to clean, safe, and renewable energy and energy efficiency

• Encourage individuals, businesses, and governments to take action to slow down and reverse climate change.

• Support international climate negotiations to make sure they result in strong agreements that set the world on a path to a safe and sustainable future

These goals are important because they provide a framework for what is needed to do to mitigate and adapt to climate change.

Organizations Helping Solve the Climate Crises

Several organizations are working to help solve the climate crisis. Here are a few:

Citizens' Climate Lobby (CCL)

Citizens' Climate Lobby (CCL) is a nonprofit, nonpartisan, grassroots organization for climate change that is focused on national policies in order to address the climate movement.

They aim to create the political will for a livable world by allowing individual breakthroughs in exercising personal and political power.

Sunrise Movement

The Sunrise Movement is a movement among youth that aims to stop climate change and generate millions of good jobs. It also aims to end the corrupting influence of fossil fuel executives in politics and elect leaders who advocate for the health and well-being of the community.

RepublicEn

RepublicEn is a grassroots community-building effort that aims to provide educational support for conservatives dedicated to building public understanding of free enterprise solutions. It also promises to solve energy and climate challenges.

Extinction Rebellion

Extinction Rebellion is a global environmental movement that aims to use non-violent direct action and civil disobedience to influence governments to act justly on the climate and ecological emergency.

Climate Changemakers

Climate Changemakers work on taking political action to attain equitable and bold policy changes that enable humanity to shift rapidly the planet toward a sustainable, decarbonized future.

Coalition for Rainforest Nations

The Coalition for Rainforest Nation aims to create sound and long-lasting opportunities for environmental sustainability. It also seeks social and economic advancement and strengthens capacity and international market reform.

Project Drawdown

Project Drawdown is a nonprofit organization that seeks to aid the world hit "drawdown" — when levels of greenhouse gasses in the atmosphere cease climbing and decline steadily.

Students for Carbon Dividends

Students for Carbon Dividends (S4CD) is a nominally right-leaning group that advocates for center-left policies, most notably a carbon tax. They seek to influence young conservatives and Republicans to support its global warming agenda.

Evergreen Action

Evergreen is a climate change advocacy group that aims to put bold climate action at the top of America's agenda. They also thrive on creating millions of jobs in a just and inclusive clean energy future.

Earthjustice

Earthjustice is a premier nonprofit public interest environmental law organization. They exercise the power of law and the strength of partnership to protect the people's health, advance clean energy, preserve magnificent places and wildlife, and fight climate change.

NRDC

The Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC) is a United States-based 501(c)(3) nonprofit international environmental advocacy group that aims to safeguard the Earth, including its people, plants, and animals, and the natural systems on which all life depends.

Environmental Defense Fund

Environmental Defense Fund seeks to preserve the natural systems on which all life depends. They work to solve the most critical environmental problems on the planet and focus on mitigating climate change.

Climate Reality Project

The Climate Reality Project aims to catalyze a global solution to the climate problem by creating urgent action a necessity across every sector of society.

350

350 is an international movement of ordinary people working towards ending the age of fossil fuels and creating a world of community-led renewable energy for all.

Third Act

The Third Act is for people over the age of 60, so-called "experienced Americans, that are committed to changing the world for the better. They campaign on climate change, racial equity, and the protection of democracy.

Regeneration

Regeneration seeks to align humanity with the living world to end the climate crisis in one generation. It aims to answer the urgency of the climate crisis.

Environmental Voter Project

The Environmental Voter Project is a nonprofit organization that identifies millions of non-voting environmentalists and aims to turn them into consistent voters.

Sierra Club

The Sierra Club is an environmental group in the United States that aims to amplify the power of millions of supporters and members to protect everyone's right to a healthy world.

Practical Tips for Climate Advocacy

Here are some practical tips for climate advocacy:

National Level

• Find your congressional representatives and demand action on climate change.
• Become a member or donate to an environmental organization
• Write letters to the editor
• Attend rallies, marches, and protests
• Volunteer for or support a political campaign
• Continue to educate yourself and others about climate change and solutions

State Level

• Contact your state legislators
• Attend local town halls and forums
• Support or join a state environmental organization
• Volunteer for or support state and local political campaigns

City Level

• Voice your opinion during public comment periods
• Support or join a local environmental organization
• Volunteer for or support city and local political campaigns

Corporate Level

• Buy products from sustainable companies
• Invest in sustainable companies
• Divest from fossil fuel companies
• Voice your opinion about unsustainable companies

Moving Forward

The climate crisis is daunting, but there are things we can do to mitigate the effects of climate change and fight for a sustainable future.

With so many organizations working towards goals like these, it is important that we all do our part in advocating for change.

The practical tips listed above are just a starting point- get creative and find what works best for you in terms of taking action.

FAQs

1. What is climate advocacy?

Climate advocacy is working to advance clean energy and fight climate change.

2. What is climate change?

Climate change is the long-term alteration of temperature and typical weather patterns. Climate change could refer to a particular location or the planet.

3. What are some goals of climate advocacy?

Some goals of climate advocacy include transitioning to renewable energy, protecting wildlife, and mitigating the effects of climate change.

4. What are some organizations that help with climate advocacy?

Some organizations that help with climate advocacy include the Environmental Defense Fund, Climate Reality Project, 350, and many more.

5. What are some practical tips for climate advocacy?

Some practical tips for climate advocacy include writing letters to the editor, attending rallies and protests, and volunteering for political campaigns.