Holding the line on climate: CCL’s next steps
This post is the conclusion of a blog series recapping some of the Trump administration and Congress’s interactions on climate, what CCL has done in response, and what we plan to do in the future. If you haven’t already, be sure to read the rest of the series:
- Series introduction
- Part 1: Funding and staffing cuts at National Oceanic and Atmospheric Association (NOAA)
- Part 2: Climate and clean energy spending cuts at the Department of Energy (DOE)
- Part 3: Funding and staffing cuts at the Forest Service
The three examples we’ve covered in this blog series show who we are at CCL in the face of major threats to climate science and policy under this administration.
We are a trusted, nonpartisan voice speaking up on behalf of climate science. We lend our credibility to strategic, bipartisan efforts on Capitol Hill, helping to protect climate laws and to protect Congress’s own constitutional authority over those laws.
And, importantly, we remain committed to working with Congress on climate policy. Because members of Congress and their staff are still working, and they need to hear from their constituents frequently and constructively. Our country and our leaders need more civil, productive engagement. Folks in our communities need even stronger relationships with members of Congress. That’s exactly what we make happen here at CCL. Our work of respectful, persistent advocacy is needed now more than ever.
And our advocacy is still focused on solving climate change. We are digging in to our mission to advance meaningful climate legislation, and we’re watching for opportunities to do that in even more effective ways as the political landscape evolves around us.
Of course, that political landscape is wider than just the climate issue. Depending on your perspective, other issues may seem most pressing right now: health care, the economy, immigration, national security, or even democracy itself . If we ‘call Congress in’ — invoking and supporting its constitutional power — we expand the possibilities for collaboration and stronger civil discourse, improving the odds of long-lasting, bipartisan laws on climate and beyond. But because CCL is not well equipped to directly address issues beyond climate, we encourage our volunteers to be involved in additional organizations who focus on additional issues you care about.
And after only five months of this administration and this new Congress, there’s much more to come. More threats to climate policy. More opportunities for bipartisan pushback. And certainly more chances for Congress to advance new climate legislation that our planet and our people desperately need.
Along the way, the everyday acts of civil engagement that CCLers do around the country — calling, writing, or meeting with lawmakers; creating dialogue and building coalitions in our communities — will be incredibly powerful. With every climate action we take, we’re making the voice of the American people louder in a time when it’s far too easy for those voices to be drowned out.
Because we believe in a government that listens to the people it represents. So we intend to keep showing up to be heard. We hope you’re with us and ready to make your voice heard, too.
