I led my first climate change action meeting with my baby on my lap. That morning, the babysitter had canceled, and I had no choice but to bring my infant daughter and three-year-old son to the local library while I hosted the meeting.
It was hardly convenient, but neither was a new, alarming UN report from the world’s leading climate scientists warning of a mere 12 years left to fix climate change.
The report came out when my daughter was just 14 days into her new life. A life just as important as everyone else’s and deserving of a livable world to thrive in. I wanted to bask in this blissful time and worry about nothing but bonding with my precious new baby. But for the next few weeks, the report weighed heavily on me, challenging me to do something. If I didn’t do something for my children’s future, how could I expect anyone else to step up?
Surrounded by nursing paraphernalia, I wrote a letter to the local paper and emailed my Congressman.
But simply writing letters did not seem like enough. I wanted to do more.
I had previously volunteered with Citizens Climate Lobby, a grassroots, nonpartisan organization that empowers citizens to advocate for federal legislation to cut carbon emissions. The CCL approach appealed to me as the organization has deliberately sought out an effective and durable bipartisan solution, the Energy Innovation and Carbon Dividend Act, that brings both liberal and conservative concerns to the table with legislation that is good for people and the economy, and encourages innovation. The bill places a rising fee on carbon pollution and distributes the revenue evenly to all Americans as monthly payments.
After speaking on the phone with a regional coordinator from CCL, I agreed to get the Greenville chapter up and running and began training to be a group leader. I kicked off our chapter meetings in early 2019 hosting them at the local library and in the front room of my home.
Since then, we have gained around 30 active members and a chapter co-leader, Constantine Khripin. We have met every month via Zoom since the pandemic hit and have made strides for climate change solutions in our corner of the world.
Since our chapter began, two years ago this month, we have met more than 20 times with the offices of our senators Lindsey Graham and Tim Scott and local representatives William Timmons and Jeff Duncan and formed good, cordial relationships with them.
Collectively we have published dozens of letters to the editors of local papers and gained endorsements from local breweries, businesses, and conservation organizations for the legislation we support. But there is still a lot more work to do. We need constituents, community leaders, and local organizations to speak up about climate change and pledge their support for solutions.
When I mention climate change in South Carolina, the reaction can be mixed. I’ve had conversations with farmers learning about the impact of extreme weather on their crops, changing planting zones, and their fears about milder winters with not enough frosts to work the soil or kill off the pests that attack their harvest. Heatstroke, as temperatures rise, is also a very real threat.
I’ve spoken to people scared they are on a fast track to losing their homes and the coastal areas they love due to rising sea levels and religious leaders who believe their faith calls them to care for creation and love their neighbor by protecting the earth for all.
Yet, I’ve also been warned, “Don’t use the words climate change. It’s too polarizing.”
One local legislator told me, “I don’t believe it’s a thing. Sorry.”
Climate change talk provokes strong reactions – sometimes passion to solve the problem, other times anger. I’ve been mocked during presentations and ridiculed on Facebook, Twitter, and NextDoor.com. I try not to take it personally.
The reason people get enraged about climate change is that the problem seems so insurmountable. If you admit that it’s real, the magnitude of the issue is overwhelming. It threatens everything we hold dear. It’s scary and alarming, and there is a lot of fear and negative rhetoric about what we may be expected to give up to solve it. Solutions have been vilified. I’ve heard politicians catastrophizing: “There will be no more burgers, no more trips to Hawaii…”
But a good climate change solution can drive large-scale change using incentives rather than control. It lets people choose for themselves with the motivation to choose wisely.
Last week, the Energy Innovation & Carbon Dividend Act was reintroduced by Rep. Ted Deutch (D-FL-22) with 28 cosponsors. With a rising fee on carbon pollution that will get America to net zero emissions by 2050, I see it as the best first step to dramatically cutting emissions in the US.
We can shift from adding carbon to reducing carbon in the atmosphere fairly without putting a burden on those who are poor or disadvantaged and walk the fine line of nurturing both a healthy planet and a robust economy.
To protect U.S. manufacturers and jobs, under this legislation imported goods will pay a border carbon adjustment, and goods exported from the United States will receive a refund under this policy.
It gives industries a chance to meet the moment as businesses invent and reinvest in lower-cost, lower-carbon technologies. In turn, the dividend is a financial incentive for everyone to make greener, cleaner choices. All the motives are in place to do the right thing for the planet.
Suddenly things don’t seem so scary, and there is hope for a greener, thriving future. But we need to build bipartisan political will in Congress to help this happen. We need all hands on deck, every constituent speaking up, and community leaders, businesses, and cities prepared to show they support it.
There’s simply no more time to stall on climate. Every delayed day of action is taking away from the lives we love and value right now.
The tiny baby I had on my lap as I led my first CCL meeting is now a funny, feisty two-and-a-half-years-old – the same age as the UN report that spurred me to take action. That means we have 9.5 years left to pull this off. I hope we can rise to the challenge.
