Did You Hear the One About Abraham Lincoln’s Beard?
Take Civic Action Thursday
Why it’s important:
We cannot stop the climate crisis without policy change and accountability at all levels of our government and business.
Politicians in Washington hear a lot from lobbyists who want to keep the status quo (see resources below.) On the other side of the issue, Americans who are concerned about climate change are not heard from.
How fortunate we are to live in a country where we can call, write and tweet our elected officials! That is the privilege, or gift even, of living in the United States. How about giving that gift a try, just one time? It’s guaranteed to make you feel better.
Action Options:
Contact the President, your Senator, Representative, State or County Officials or Mayor to let them know, in your own words, of your deep concern for stopping the climate emergency and moving toward sustainable solutions as quickly as possible.
To learn about who represents you at each level of government and how to contact them visit. https://www.usa.gov/elected-officials to see your Michigan legislators go to the “related sites” on the Michigan page of this link.
A package of bills called the Clean Energy Future Plan was introduced in the Michigan Senate on April 12th. Learn about what the bills will accomplish and follow the link to contact your state senator (scroll down to the end of number two). Organized by the Michigan League of Conservation Voters.
Three Things Thursday: April 13, 2023 - Michigan League of Conservation Voters
Contact your Michigan Senator and Senator Sean McCann, the Chair of the Energy and Environment Committee, in support of Senate Bills 152 and 153 for creating community solar in Michigan. Expanding Solar in Michigan
Here’s a Q and A on community solar from Michigan Community Solar Alliance.
Call on Toyota to join other automakers in pledging to deliver 100% electric vehicles by 2035! All are invited to participate in this national petition and campaign organized by Interfaith Power and Light Advocacy scroll down for individual input.
This action, contacting our leaders, seems to be the most daunting climate action for many people so we thought we’d share a story about the impact one letter can have. In 1860, when Abraham Lincoln was the Republican candidate for President, 11- year-old Grace Bedell wrote to him suggesting he grow a beard because “all the ladies like whiskers”.
Write or Call
Let elected officials know clearly and concisely why you care about the problem of climate change. In government offices, comments are tallied by subject. This helps elected officials know what their constituents care about and has a significant impact on how they act and vote. They will take actions that voters support and will get them re-elected.
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Hello this is ___________. I’m a constituent and a voter and I want to voice my strong concern about the threat of climate change. Please keep the need to stop climate change in your thoughts and heart in your decision making in the future. Thank you!
Bright Spots
Baseball Players Are Hitting More Home Runs—And Climate Change Is Helping
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Baseball Players Are Hitting More Home Runs—And Climate Change Is Helping 〰️
It won’t help most of us hit a home run, but climate change is, in a very small way, helping those already hitting the long ball!
Did you know that over 40% of electricity in the United States comes from carbon-free sources?
Resources:
As Pope Francis explains, “love is interpersonal but love is also political.” (12:00) If we love our fellow humans, animal, plant species, this earth and future generations we need to be political and speak up to change the current systems that are heating our world. Pope Francis Video. His Holiness Pope Francis | Our moral imperative to act on climate change [English]
See how your elected officials voted on environmental issues in 2022 National Environmental Scorecard https://scorecard.lcv.org/
Spelling it out:
“This is because while the diagnosis of climate change being a problem is a scientific issue, the response to it is not. Leaving fossil fuels in the ground is, for example, a question of regulation, while investing in renewable energy is a policy choice, and modernizing our housing stock to make it energy efficient is about overcoming the lobbying power of the building industry. Solving climate change is about power, money, and political will. And that means talking about climate change and engaging in politics at all levels”.
Simon Lewis - global change scientist, The Guardian, Don’t Worry, Climate Change Can Still Be Averted https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2018/aug/07/climate-change-catastrophe-political-will-grassroots-engagement
A sampling of articles on the subject:
Here is information on fossil fuel lobbying funds from Open Secrets. Open Secrets is self described as “the most comprehensive resource for campaign contributions, lobbying data and analysis available anywhere.”
https://www.opensecrets.org/industries/lobbying.php?cycle=2022&ind=E01
Another look at lobbying funds spent by fossil fuel interests versus environmentalists
From Yale360, the Yale School of the Environment in 2018
Fossil Fuel Interests Have Outspent Environmental Advocates 10:1 on Climate Lobbying - Yale E360