Lobbying for Climate Change: Are We Doing Enough?

N

ow, you might be wondering why you’re here in a statehouse lobbying for clean energy on Valentine’s Day of all days,” chuckles Alan Palm, Director of Organizing for 350 Massachusetts. “But as kitschy as it may sound, Valentine's Day is about showing those around us how much we love them, and at the end of the day, we are all trying to protect our planet, to protect what we all love.”

This February, I attended the “I Love Clean Energy: Mass Power Forward Valentine’s Lobby Day” at the Statehouse in Boston. Around one hundred apprehensive Massachusetts residents wore red clothing and packed a State House hearing room to lobby the Massachusetts legislature, urging them to support the S.1847/H.3400 bill for clean energy.

Their goal is for the state of Massachusetts to pledge to 50% renewable energy by 2030.

As I entered the room, I couldn’t help but notice the sea of gray-haired heads. Of the people who came to lobby, the overwhelming majority of them were white, liberal, middle class men and women between the ages of fifty and seventy. After seeing this sight, I wondered to myself, where are all the young people? Perhaps this lack of diversity could be attributed to the fact that it was a Wednesday morning. But on the other hand, this group of individuals supposedly served as a representation of over two hundred different organizations fighting against climate change in the state of Massachusetts.

So what does that say about the type of people who take action against climate change in the New England area? I struck up a conversation with an older man sitting next to me. I learned that he hailed from Winchester, Massachusetts and represented his local chapter of 350.org. But this man wasn’t always an avid climate action advocate. In fact, he informed me that he only joined the movement after the 2016 election. Since becoming a member, he told me that he has seen huge improvements in just one year: the Senate could be passing a carbon pricing bill soon. Despite his clear passion for climate action, my new acquaintance admitted that he doesn’t really see the future of climate change as his responsibility, but that he still joins the fight because he wants future generations to be able to live sustainably and comfortably. 

Climate action shouldn’t be a hobby that you pick up late in life; it shouldn’t be an extra-curricular you pursue from the cocoon of financial security. Instead, it should be a lifelong pursuit to preserve the Earth for ourselves and future generations alike to live sustainably and sufficiently.

This anecdote of my acquaintance from Winchester poses a critical question to the future of lobbying for climate action: is climate action a path only to be pursued as a “second half of life” endeavor? Is it only something for which individuals are likely to mobilize during retirement after they have made money in a steady job and are living comfortably?

I think that many students in high school or college don’t often think about climate action as a viable career path. However, I learned from the briefing on the renewable energy bill that climate change is an issue that transcends social, economic, and health aspects of society.

For example, a simple increase in Renewable Portfolio Standard (RPS), the minimum requirement for clean energy, from 1% annually to 3% would increase jobs by 40,000. Switching to renewable energy creates a circular economy: an increase in clean energy sources increases jobs, which in turn raises the standard of living so that people can afford to utilize those clean energy sources. Those interested in an economic career can channel their expertise in helping to create this circular economy.

Another contention on the bill addressed social justice. The available sources of renewable energy are typically funnelled into higher income communities, leaving lower-income families to suffer with the health and environmental consequences of fossil fuel use. Individuals passionate about careers in equity and social justice can eradicate this disparity in energy partitioning and ensure that it is accessible to all communities.

If we want to see significant improvements in our energy outputs and in our renewable energy sources, we need to go to our state legislatures and push for the enacting of that change. One Massachusetts representative spoke to our group, saying, “Establishing a relationship with your rep is essential. You need to make the issue personal and tell them why they need to take action now.”

We need people in the 18-25 age cohort to step up to the plate and start speaking to legislators. The legislators need to see fresh faces. They need to hear new perspectives. They need to see the future of America, the future that their policies will affect. There is no escaping the reality that any change, whether positive or negative in our climate, will affect Americans personally.

If we want to speed up the process towards creating a more sustainable community, we need to mobilize the younger generations so that they can direct their tax-paying and voting powers in favor of climate action. Making a long-term connection to these issues is vital in seeing significant change in the future.

Climate action shouldn’t be a hobby that you pick up late in life; it shouldn’t be an extra-curricular you pursue from the cocoon of financial security. Instead, it should be a lifelong pursuit to preserve the Earth for ourselves and future generations alike to live sustainably and sufficiently.