Martin Luther King once told us
We shall have to repent in this generation, not so much for the evil deeds of the wicked people, but for the appalling silence of the good people.
He was speaking in 1967 about enacting protections for blacks in America. But those words characterize today’s efforts to reduce greenhouse emissions and build local protections against climate change.
Most of us are silent. And at the wrong moment!
Now is the time
On November 5th, America’s efforts to fight the growth of climate change and its local damages may be instantly hobbled. Yes, a victorious Republican President and Congress will immediately act on their beliefs - beliefs such as . . .
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration should be dismantled because it constitutes one of the main drivers of the climate change alarm industry. Project 2025
The climate change agenda is a hoax. . . the reality is more people are dying of bad climate change policies than they are of actual climate change. Vivek Ramaswamy
It is the sense of Congress that the United States should not promote policies that would discourage fossil fuels; House Resolution Dec 2023
Our big problem is nuclear warming [an arms race], but nobody even talks about it. The environmentalists talk about all this nonsense.” Donald Trump
You can be loyal to American labor, or you can be loyal to the environmental lunatics. Donald Trump
At last count there were 139 elected officials in the 117th Congress who still deny the scientific consensus of human-caused climate change!
If the November elections put a few more such people in Congress and Donald Trump in the White House, the Republicans have extensive plans to trash Washington’s efforts against climate change “on Day One.” That’s Inauguration Day, next January 20th.
Why most of us are doing little or nothing
Looking for an excuse? There are plenty.
We can’t see chances to take action. (There are plenty, starting with those listed below.)
We don’t think neighbors will listen. Americans underestimate the prevalence of climate concern. On average we believe that only 43% of Americans are concerned, but in fact 65% of us are concerned about climate change. (So we can be less cautious talking about climate effects.)
We don’t like using crisis language. (There’s no need to.)
We don’t have time. (It doesn’t take much time to have an impact.)
Any number of ways to help
You may not want to smear paint on a Degas statue in the National Gallery of Art, sit in rocking chairs to blockade local banks, block traffic on motorways, or interrupt sporting events. But there are plenty of ways to show - not just tell - people how you feel about the need to fight climate damages. Here are just a few.
Citizens Climate Lobby gives us opportunities to talk directly with Capitol Hill politicians. It’s also active during election campaigns.
League of Conservation Voters In 2022, LCV volunteers made over a million calls and texts to voters in battleground states.
The Movement Voter Project Not all climate organizations have an impact at the polls. MVP puts our efforts into local organizations they deem most effective.
Environmental Voter Project volunteers phone, canvass, mail, and send digital ads to millions of voters who have shown an interest in environmental issues but don’t always go to the polls.
As you look around for similar volunteer opportunities, remember that 1) we need to concentrate on close races, and 2) most climate-conscious voters don’t need persuasion on the issues, they need a push to actually go to the polls. In other words, we need to break the silence of the good people.
Okay. Thanks for letting me rant. Next week I’ll be back to covering more of the mundane climate protections that are beginning to be important in our neighborhoods. BUT, at the same time, in the coming months I’ll be working with climate protest groups to persuade my fellow Americans of the urgency and, in November, to get them to vote. These six months are critical!
How many Americans are concerned about climate issues?
What do Conservatives plan for ‘Day One?’
I for one am all in on trying to make sure we win in November. If everyone could reach out to 5 friends and relatives to get them to do something we could actually win and not lose the planet. Thank you David!
David- We have been shouting, but the legislators, and others in power, are not always willing to listen. Greg has been testifying at legislature almost every night in past 2 weeks. We will see what happens, and we will keep shouting!