Congress doesn't create political will; it responds to it.  The only thing missing to implement the policy changes required for a livable world is political will.  What is the solution to global warming?  Close the growing US carbon price gap with a cash-back carbon fee and a CBAM is half the solution (bit.ly/cfd-is-half-the-15-solution).   In conjunction with the EU and others, a US CBAM backed by a high and steadily rising carbon price enabled by a federal Carbon Fee and Dividend will push a strong carbon price worldwide, making all the complementary policies we also need far easier to implement. 

Working to build the political will for a powerful, necessary, and beneficial climate policy can inspire people to step outside their comfort zones, and that is where the magic happens. Experience improves skills and builds courage.  As one becomes more effective, the feeling of responsibility to share this power with others is empowering. 

A high global carbon price is required for any chance of a relatively safe climate. An equal per-capita cash-back rebate protects family budgets (most families get more money back, net), which makes carbon pricing more popular.  A CBAM protects US businesses and puts pressure on free polluting countries to price carbon. This Carbon Fee and Dividend approach is supported by the largest public statement by economists in history and reinforced by MIT and ClimateInteractive's En-ROADS policy simulator. 

How can we build the political will needed for bipartisan legislation of CF&D? Through many people working on a broad spectrum of projects that create overlapping, self-reinforcing areas of understanding and support across society.   Here are some ideas.

Actions and Projects List

1. Send Congress an email. Use CCL’s easy webform to send periodic emails to your Congressional delegation asking them to support Carbon Fee and Dividend legislation: cclusa.org/write-cfd. Then encourage others to do the same.

2. Meet with 2026 state- and federal-level candidates to introduce them to CF&D.  A small team can schedule meetings with state and federal candidates in coffee shops or similar venues to learn their position on climate change and policy, then share what we know from experts:  template meeting agenda.  Also see this discussion about the idea on CCL Community.

3. Town Hall / Op-ed election season actions:  “Talk Climate With Candidates.”  Ask a climate question in town hall settings.  This may lead to a follow-up discussion to provide candidates with the Economists’ Statement on Carbon Dividends, the CF&D laser talk, the Household Impact Study, and the “The Growing U.S. Carbon Price Gap” article (printable at bit.ly/cfdresources). A summary: bit.ly/2024-talk-climate-with-candidates (the intro could use a 2026 update, but the question is good).  An NH example.

4. Table at polling sites on election days to put climate change in voters' minds:  Climate Voter Information.  This creates opportunities to talk with candidates and build relationships with engaged people.  (For the Nov 2024 election, I put a table between the Trump folks and the town Dems.  I had conversations about billionaires, front groups, and CF&D with the MAGA folks, and met and connected with the democrat candidate who went on to win the NH02 Congressional seat on the other side of our table.)

5. Clipboard, table, and speak at democracy rallies.  Share concerns about billionaires who want to replace our democracy with a plutocracy, to connect, build awareness of CF&D, and grow CCL membership.  The growing public resistance against efforts to concentrate power and replace the U.S. democracy with an authoritarian regime presents an opportunity to expand CCL’s reach beyond environmentalists.  "Fossil fuel billionaires have worked for decades to keep their pollution free to maximize their profits at our expense.  Do you think it should be free to pollute?  No, of course not!  It shouldn't be free to pollute. We need to charge fossil fuel billionaires for their climate pollution and return the money to us. We can make it no longer free to pollute, and you'll get the money back, with a policy called Carbon Fee and Dividend. Visit the CCL table to write Congress for CF&D and sign up for our newsletter if you want to do more."  Sample tabling posters.  See also: speaking suggestions in the notes under slide #51 of the presentation slides at The Growing U.S. Carbon Price Gap. 

6. Collect endorsements for CF&D from community, business, and elected leaders.  Working on this motivates local volunteer CF&D grasstops actions throughout the year.  Maintain a state/district CF&D endorsements list.  Share the endorsement list annually at CCL Summer Lobby meetings, when requesting new endorsements, meeting with candidates and state policymakers, and while tabling as an example of what we do.

7. Help grow the CFD Movement.  Help students in clubs learn about and join this movement for their school: cfdmovement.org.  For everyone else:  join the CCL Friends of CFD Movement: a CCL Higher Ed Action Team subteam that meets monthly to help CCL volunteers connect student clubs with the CFD Movement.  Resources:

   1. Initiate contact with a school club.

   2. Deliver an inspirational meeting.

   3. Monthly meetings on the 3rd Sunday of the month at 7:00 pm ET on Zoom: cfdmovement.org/call. The idea is to grow the CFD Movement by many more schools each year to increase the number of students writing Congress for CF&D.  Future nationwide “Most Effective Pizza Party” events could attract national media attention.  Students at schools in the CFD Movement put up flyers, table, offer teach-ins, Talk Climate with Candidates, collect a CF&D policy endorsement from their school, ask their economics professors to sign on to the Economists’ Statement on Carbon Dividends, and much more.

5. Connect with and inspire influencers to become CF&D advocates.  Some highly respected climate-solution leaders make the task of building political will for CF&D more difficult by saying that carbon pricing “won’t happen.”  These trusted messengers make our job more difficult - e.g., NGOs, media, the Sierra Club, David Roberts, Heatmap, Jesse Jenkins, Bill McKibben, Leah Stokes, and Gueneve Gunther.  Since no one can know what is possible, and the IPCC says we cannot achieve a safe climate future without a strong global carbon price, we need to figure out how to enlist powerful voices in building the political will needed for Congress to price carbon as soon as possible.  E.g., Community discussion.

6. State legislative action:   Use op-eds, letters to the editor, and written and in-person testimony at state legislative hearings on bills that provide opportunities to educate about and build support for CF&D.  Ask for endorsements.  Work in a coalition of like-minded groups to help expand reach (e.g., newhampshirenetwork.org/NH-bills).  Example bills:

   1. Proxy carbon pricing for state procurement of vehicles and building HVAC (NH HB278);

   2. A study on the likelihood, impacts, and how to prepare for a federal CF&D;

   3. A resolution for federal CF&D legislation;  and

   4. Support complementary bills that reduce emissions, such as investments in energy efficiency, electrification, and clean energy deployment.  Oppose bad bills and use as teachable moments.

7. Collect municipal resolutions for state and federal CF&D legislation.  Resolutions: 34 NH towns, 3 NH cities (carboncashback.org), and 30 ME towns (carboncashback4me.org).

8. In every lobby meeting, allocate at least 5 minutes for a CF&D discussion.  This year, we are discussing topics in the "Growing U.S. Carbon Price Gap" article (bit.ly/carbon-price-gap-article), delivering the CF&D endorsements list, sharing stories of recent efforts, and asking what else would help:  Fall 2025 Lobby Meeting Carbon Pricing Topics.

9. Network with other groups - to help inform other group about CF&D and encourage them to advocate for it also.  E.g., CCL NH members actively contribute to the newhampshirenetwork.org.

10. CF&D tabling.  A standard set of CCL and CF&D tabling materials enables training new volunteers and can be replicated easily.  A single flyer can be used to connect this material to any event (examples). Standard table resources:  Who is CCL; how do climate policies compare (En-ROADS); how does CF&D make carbon pricing equitable, good for business, harmonize with the climate policies of other countries, and hold free-polluting countries accountable; and what can you do to help create political will for CF&D.  Table at climate, environment, democracy, etc. events.   Our CF&D Tabling/Meeting Materials include the PDFs available at bit.ly/cfdresources and a few others at cfdmovement.org => Resources => Tabling Supplies:

• CF&D is half the 1.5 solution (En-ROADS): bit.ly/cfd-is-half-the-15-solution

• The Economists’ Statement on Carbon Dividends

• CCL’s CF&D laser talk

• CCL Household Impact Study two-page summary (and Figure 1 & 2 flyer).

• History of the Energy Innovation Act & potential CF&D policy updates

• The Growing U.S. Carbon Price Gap article (talking points:  who will lead the next technological revolution; the U.S. carbon advantage; the required price to meet goals; carbon pricing is spreading, prices are rising, and CBAMs are coming)

• CFD Movement: 1) Most Effective Climate Policy flyer, 2) photo collage of CFD Movement action, 3) Students in CFD Movement article (all three found in the CFD Movement file in bit.ly/cfdresources).

• NH CF&D endorsements list

• CF&D actions (write Congress, call Congress, etc. flyer)

13. Library climate display (e.g., for Earth Day/Month): bit.ly/library-climate-project.  This can be done by a CCL volunteer working with a local library, or suggested as a high school student project for personal interest or community service to share information about the science, economics, and CF&D policy.

14. Teach “Help Solve Climate Change!”, a class designed to share the science, economics, policies, and politics of climate change and give students a CF&D action to share with friends and their school.  Modify these materials to suit your style and opportunity:
    - Class guide for an in-person two-hour session.
    - Class guide for a 1-hour virtual session.
    - 50-minute recording of a 2021 virtual session (pre-CFD Movement).

15. Find a good billionaire. CCL has operated on about $5 million a year for a long time, but that is no enough to get info-ads into media, hand out free merch with CF&D by the truckload, and be a prominent sponsor at environment, energy, and climate events across the country.  If you come across a good billionaire, ask permission to give them a pitch for a donation of several million a year to help change the course of human civilization for the better.  If they give you the chance, flip through the key resources from bit.ly/cfdresources with them, and ask them to help make history.

When appropriate, share information about the polluting industry's influence on state and federal climate policies.  Specifically, help people understand the “two-faced game” that has been played on us for decades by the fossil fuel industry:  notnotter.org/the-game.