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People across the United States are experiencing the impacts of the climate crisis—drought and wildfires in our home state of California, flooding in Kentucky and Missouri, extreme heat and record temperature across much of the country. Climate change is altering our lives in profound ways, and we haven't even felt its most serious impacts yet. The magnitude of this crisis can feel overwhelming and has serious implications for our mental health.
But we are here to tell you that we remain very optimistic that we can solve the climate crisis. We believe that we have an incredible opportunity at hand to tackle climate change, address fundamental inequities in our society, and emerge a better country and world.
Why are we hopeful? Because we don't lack the solutions to the climate crisis. We know what needs to be done.
We need to accelerate our transition to clean energy and away from our reliance on fossil fuels. We must invest in scaling up affordable, clean, and reliable energy resources. We need to address the transportation sector—one of the largest contributors to greenhouse gas emissions—by spurring adoption of zero emission vehicles. We must transition to a clean energy economy while creating new opportunities for family-sustaining jobs.
We don't lack the technology or the expertise to make these changes—changes that are possible and make us hopeful about our future.
But what we don't have yet is the political will to make these changes. We need elected officials—across all levels of government—who are willing to take on corporate polluters, champion progressive policies, and to stand with vulnerable, low-income and BIPOC communities that continue to suffer the most severe impacts of the climate crisis.
The past several years show what's possible when we elect climate champions. In 2020, we elected President Joe Biden, who campaigned on his commitment to addressing climate change. We re-elected climate leaders in Congress. And two years later, following an incredible effort from our champions in Congress and the advocacy of people all across the country, the president signed the largest climate investment this county has ever seen: the Inflation Reduction Act.
This law is historic. It will help cut planet-warming pollution by about 40 percent by 2030. It includes $369 billion in climate, clean energy, and environmental justice investments. And it wouldn't have happened without people going to the polls two years earlier and voting for elected officials who were willing to stand up to polluters.
If you're mad and frustrated by the climate crisis, if you want clean air to breathe and clean water to drink, then join us in taking action. Here's three things you can do right now:
—Hold your elected officials accountable. Check out their voting record and know where they stand on climate action and holding corporate polluters accountable. Advocate for them to champion bold policies—locally, statewide and across the country.
—If you're not already, get registered to vote! Visit vote.gov to find out more information. Then support candidates up and down the ballot who are willing to take on a stand on the climate crisis. It's not too early to think about the next election and get involved.
—Get involved with an organization that is fighting for climate justice like California Environmental Voters or similar organizations around the country.
Every movement to change people's lives for the better has started from the grassroots. It's our moment right now to fight the climate crisis. Hope with us and take action today.
Mary Creasman is the chief executive officer of California Environmental Voters.
Ronen Rubinstein is an environmental media association board member, actor, and environmental activist.
The views expressed in this article are the writers' own.
