Lobbying for the Greater Good

Despite what might seem like overwhelming odds against them, individual citizens can wield influence by joining a committed organization and becoming politically active. As researchers issue strong warnings about trends in climate change, political will seems absent, explains Daniel Bornstein for the New York Times. The Citizens Climate Lobby, or CCL, tries to bridge the gap: “Founded in 2007, the organization prepares citizens to be effective lobbyists, helping them build relationships with members of Congress and editorial page editors, showing them how to make persuasive arguments about policies to win bipartisan support. Currently, the group’s main focus is to build political will for a revenue-neutral carbon tax, a policy that has been supported by economists across the political spectrum.” To be effective, citizens and organizations must be well informed, persistent and ready to find and use points of cooperation with opponents. As one organizer noted, politicians respond to rather than create political will. – YaleGlobal