As the world converges for COP30 in Brazil, hundreds of global leaders are set to deliberate on strategies to combat climate change. For many, it might seem that their individual influence on these monumental decisions is minimal.
However, “minimal” does not equate to “nonexistent.” By engaging in community-driven initiatives, individuals can collectively wield greater influence than they could alone.
Leah Stokes, a professor specializing in environmental politics and public policy at the University of California, Santa Barbara, suggests, “Instead of acting solo, trying to make your carbon footprint as tiny as possible, join forces with others to amplify your impact.”
Community involvement can take various forms, and the most effective strategy often hinges on the specific change you aim to achieve. Here are three prevalent methods in the United States.
Make your voice heard at the ballot box.
In democratic societies, voting is frequently highlighted by climate experts as the most potent form of climate action. This is because elected officials typically determine large-scale environmental policies.
“You have a direct access to decide who makes the decisions,” said environment professor Anthony Leiserowitz, who directs the Yale Program on Climate Change Communication. “They’re the ones that we are basically choosing as our leaders to make these system-level choices for us that are going to profoundly affect our lives.”
For example, the U.S. has twice withdrawn from the Paris Agreement climate treaty after voters elected President Donald Trump, who deprioritizes climate action.
Leiserowitz said some might think that a single vote doesn’t make a meaningful difference in a country as large as the U.S., where more than 150 million people participated in last year’s election.
“And yet we have seen again and again, including the most recent election, that actually these are incredibly close, and that votes do matter,” he said.
Voters also elect members of Congress who make budget decisions and write laws. There are also often climate-related ballot measures. Governors and state lawmakers shape policies in their area. Elected leaders of local governments decide on public transit routes, trash collection, bike lanes and public electric vehicle chargers that can change people’s behavior and reduce planet-warming emissions.
“As a U.S. citizen who feels as though policy decisions are being made that are far beyond their control, I think there are still meaningful ways to engage,” said Finn Hossfeld, climate policy analyst at New Climate Institute. “Those are changes that are happening at the state level that are shielded from changes that are happening at the federal level.”
Talk to elected officials
There are two ways to do this: Call local, state and federal representatives, or show up at public meetings.
Ideally, elected officials cast votes and propose laws that represent the will of their constituents. They generally wish to remain popular so they can get reelected. In both cases, knowing and acting on your opinion is important to them.
The U.S. House and Senate have directories of representatives and their contact information. State and local representatives also typically list contact information on their websites.
City councils, county boards and school boards have public meetings where residents can share their opinions before elected officials make decisions. Leiserowitz said sometimes these meetings are not well-attended, so an individual can have an outsized impact.
“Nobody ever focuses on public utility commissions. Most of them by law have to have public hearings where they are deciding what energy system you are going to be using when you flip on that light switch. Is it being driven by fossil fuels? Is it been driven by clean energy?” he said. “Most people don’t even realize they’re there.”
When she’s not teaching or writing, Stokes collaborates with students and activists to advocate for phasing out oil and gas in her community. She said collective action can be even more effective when people seek smaller changes closer to home.
“Everyday people can show up to local hearings. They can show up to a permit process for a solar project,” she said. “All the action happens really at the scale of a building, at the scale of the car, at a scale of an oil well.”
Volunteer for a group that shares your values
Nonprofits, think tanks, legal action groups and advocacy groups will sometimes select legislation to challenge or support. They often rely on volunteers with specific expertise to make a dent in the issues they’re protesting or backing. If you like what they’re doing, you can increase their impact by joining.
“Political systems, economic systems, social systems tend not to just change because it’s the smart thing to do. They change because there’s a constituency demanding it. And that’s particularly true in democracies,” Leiserowitz said.
For example, maybe your issue is a more efficient and comprehensive U.S. rail network. Alone, there isn’t much you can do about it. “I would love to be able to take a high-speed, highly energy-efficient bullet train from New York to California, but I can’t do that because I live in a society that hasn’t given me that option,” he said.
But there are multiple groups working to make better trains a reality.
Leiserowitz said another positive effect of public action is that it signals to others that it’s worth the effort, and encourages them to try it themselves.
“On a research standpoint, when we ask Americans, ‘What gives you hope?’ There’s one answer that comes back that’s bigger than any other,” he said. “And that is seeing other people acting.”
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