Note that if you purchase something via one of our links, including Amazon, we may earn a small commission.
Dear Dot,
The climate change crisis is mounting to a terrifying extent. What can everyday people do to make big oil stop drilling and burning this Earth? Especially when government leaders don’t seem concerned about the issue.
– Tessa
The Short Answer: We can get involved in our communities (check out Bluedot’s Guide to Citizen Action for ideas) and demand action from governments at all levels. We can also hold our governments accountable for climate negligence, at all levels. Vote and encourage others to do the same, call your representatives, show up to public utility meetings, take the government to court, and don’t stop talking about the promise of renewable energy.
Dear Tessa,
Big Oil sure is rearing its crude head as this current U.S. administration rolls back progress on a renewable energy transition. From the Treasury Department limiting tax credits for wind and solar while granting fossil fuel companies $18 billion in tax incentives to the current administration planning to open oil drilling leases in Alaska’s Arctic National Wildlife Refuge and on offshore sites previously off-limits, setbacks abound. Unfortunately, we’re seeing a rollback around the world, where some governments (not all, thankfully) are taking their cues from the U.S. and hedging on the climate commitments made in the Paris Agreement in 2015. One of the most important things we ordinary folks can do is hold our government accountable.
First and foremost, get out and vote! It really does matter. Support candidates who support a clean energy transition and hold accountable those who are hobnobbing with Big Oil. Canvas for politicians who are making a difference. Contact your representatives at every level and let them know that your vote is contingent on their climate action.
Climate scientist and climate communicator Katharine Hayhoe points out that one effective way of holding companies and governments accountable is taking them to court. She writes that young people in Montana successfully made the case that their constitutional rights are being violated by policies that support Big Oil. And in the Netherlands, citizens won a case that will require the government to cut emissions. You can keep up with legal climate battles here.
And there’s even more good news: A grid powered by renewable energy is more feasible than it’s ever been. Climate activist and writer Bill McKibben says that solar is likely to make real change possible. “In 40 years of working on climate issues, solar is the one thing I’ve seen that’s shown any possibility of scaling to the place where it actually interrupts the flow of carbon into the atmosphere,” he said in an interview with Yale Climate Connections. He notes that 95% of new energy generation in the past year around the world came from clean energy, saying that “our job now is to speed this transition.” And he offered a few tips on how to do that.
First, Americans currently pay about three or four times more for solar than people in Australia and the EU, largely because of the barriers to getting permits. Pushing your legislators to make permitting less of a headache could really open the door for solar. California, Maryland, and New Jersey have already mandated automated solar permitting, which allows people to apply for permits online and bypass red tape.
Then, Tessa, perhaps you want to get familiar with the utility commissioners in your state. In the YCC interview, McKibben shares that his organization Third Act, which organizes older people around climate action, has been watchdogging public utility commissions, the state-run organizations that regulate utility companies. These commissions wield significant influence over a state’s transition to renewable energy. Since proceedings can be painfully boring, it’s usually just oil lobbyists who show up. “But now we’ve trained up a whole cadre of older Americans who show up with a basket of knitting or a crossword puzzle book and are there witnessing, testifying, organizing, shedding sunlight on these proceedings,” McKibben says. In some states, voters elect the utility commissioners (we just saw some progressives get elected to these positions in Georgia). In others, the governor or state legislators select them. So don’t ignore those down-ballot races. There is a lot of important climate action that takes place at the local level.
McKibben also encourages people not to be an additional barrier to wind and solar projects via NIMBYism. “I’ll speak only to my own tribe of well-educated and affluent white people: It’s time to stop suing to block things you don’t want to look at, to stop finding absurd excuses to back up your own aesthetic prejudices,” he says.
Lastly, we can all continue to talk about climate change (Katharine Hayhoe has a great TED talk about why and how to talk climate) and the necessity of transitioning to renewable energy. “By reading, sharing, and talking about [the climate court cases], you help build public awareness and political pressure. Because when enough of us speak up, we make it clear: Climate action isn’t optional — it’s expected,” Hayhoe has said.
It can all feel like a lot, Tessa. When you’re feeling overwhelmed, spend time with like-minded people who are equally engaged in creating positive change in your community — whether that’s protecting a local river, participating in an annual bird count, or whatever lights your inner fire. It’s a powerful antidote to the despair Dot senses in your question. Bluedot’s Guide to Citizen Action suggests plenty of other ways to get involved.
Actively,
Dot
