Citizens Climate Lobby

CCL included in post-debate NBC article; Volunteer op-ed in Chicago Tribune; Clean energy webinar

	Weekly Briefing, Aug. 30, 2023

Table of Contents:
	Climate discussion at debate
	Take action this week
	Featured: CCL Kansas City
	"Make a Will" month
	Upcoming trainings

Climate takes the stage in first debate of 2024 election

Last week, many of the 2024 Republican presidential candidates took the stage for the first debate for the campaign season. The issue of climate change was prominent in the lineup, with debate moderators turning to climate as the second topic of the night.

The segment opened with a question from a young conservative. “Polls consistently show that young people’s No. 1 issue is climate change,” he pointed out, asking the candidates, “How will you [...] calm their fears that the Republican Party doesn’t care about climate change?”

One bright spot among the answers was Nikki Haley, former governor of South Carolina and ambassador to the UN, stating clearly: “Is climate change real? Yes, it is.” But overall, the discussion did not reflect the scale and urgency of this pressing global problem.

NBC News reported on reactions from climate groups and Republican members of Congress. Sen. Kevin Cramer (R-ND) said, “Republicans should do more on climate. I want a president who acknowledges that the people of this country want us to do something about climate change.”

The article also features input from CCL VP of Government Affairs, Ben Pendergrass (pictured above), and CCL volunteer Dalton Jackson. Check out the story and share it from CCL’s Twitter account.

Read the NBC Story

In other news this week:

• Op-ed successes: CCL volunteers have published op-eds across 17 states so far this month. A big shout out to CCL volunteer Joe Tedino in Chicago for landing his piece in the Chicago Tribune, which as of last year was the newspaper with the seventh biggest circulation in the country.

Take action this week

If you have a little time: Share this social media post. Your friends, family, and social media followers might be willing to lobby Congress for climate action. They just need a little nudge! Share this post from CCL’s Instagram or Twitter to encourage them to get involved and join Citizens’ Climate Lobby.

If you have more time: Attend CCL’s info session to get more involved. CCL's weekly info session is the perfect place to get a better understanding of how we approach climate advocacy, what policy areas we work on, and how you can get more involved. You can join the call live or watch a recording. Check it out!

Featured chapter: CCL Kansas City

CCL Kansas City is an urban chapter with a core group of six volunteers, led by Alan Bauman and Jennifer Brown. The chapter is now back in the swing of in-person meetings after going virtual during the height of COVID. They have also been getting out in the community with local tree plantings, through a partnership with Heartland Tree Alliance, and summer tabling outreach.

“Most of our volunteers are retirees,” Alan says. “We strongly support engaging the youth of America.” To that end, Alan recently served as a mentor for a new, young chapter member working with CCL for school credit. Madalynn Sweet (pictured above), who has now graduated, was a senior at Oregon University studying Fisheries, Wildlife, and Conservation Sciences.

“We were excited to have her participate in our chapter,” Alan says. In addition to involving her in chapter meetings, Alan encouraged her to explore CCL’s online trainings, and she jumped in with lessons on lobbying and carbon pricing.

“Each step I take with CCL reaffirms my commitment to conservation and sustainability, as I believe that together, we can create a greener, more sustainable future for generations to come,” Madalynn wrote in a post for the chapter’s website.

We love these cross-generational connections. Great work, Kansas City!

CCL has nearly 400 chapters across the country. Find your local chapter today and get plugged in!

Find My Chapter

Make a plan, leave a legacy

Whether you’re enjoying retirement, starting a family, or just graduated — there’s no better time to make a will than today!

August is national Make a Will Month. Did you know that 67% of Americans don’t have any estate plans? Don’t be a statistic! Save time, money, and stress for your loved ones by making a will today.

You can make a plan to take care of your family and to leave a legacy of impact on the causes you care about most — like climate change — when you make a will. We hope you’ll consider Citizens’ Climate Lobby or Citizens’ Climate Education as part of your estate planning. Head over to our website for some options to get started, or go to FreeWill.com to write your will today.

P.S. For more inspiration or if you’re wondering “why now?” click here to read the stories of some folks who have already joined our Legacy Club.

Upcoming trainings

9/7: Highlight Your Local Climate Impacts With Regional Slide Decks - Climate change is hitting every corner of the country in particular ways. Join CCL's Research Coordinator Dana Nuccitelli to learn how to highlight those impacts with regional presentation slides, complete with scientific source references. Join us!

Need training on the basics? The next round of our Climate Advocacy Certificate Program launches on Sept. 12. Learn about the program and see some successes from recent program participants in this new blog post, and plan to join us for the kickoff session:

9/12: CCL Community Website Walkthrough - This initial training, led by Tamara Staton, Education and Resilience Coordinator, focuses on helping you navigate our websites and find ways to put your talents, experience and interests to good use in CCL. Join us!

To see other topics and past trainings, visit the Training Topics page of CCL Community.

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CCL Climate Advocate Training
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The Info Session is held weekly on Wednesdays at 8 p.m. ET / 5 p.m. PT.

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