Citizen's Climate Lobby Hugh Chapman, 24 January 2015 We urgently need to get society off fossil fuels. Individual and community action to reduce emissions is a great way to show that a low carbon future is possible, but if we're going to reduce global emissions at anything like the scale and speed required we also need to be thinking about pushing for big structural solutions. Citizens' Climate Lobby is a supportive network of volunteers who lobby elected representatives to take decisive action on climate change. Having started in the US in 2007 CCL has now grown to be an international network of 200+ groups campaigning in countries around the world. CCL has a specific policy proposal for pricing carbon called Carbon Fee and Dividend. What is Carbon Fee and Dividend? - A fee is placed on the CO2 content of fossil fuels. This fee is levied at the mine, well, or port of entry. The fee starts at a low level and rises steadily over time. - The revenue from this carbon fee is redistributed to citizens. This means that households are protected from the financial impact of the transition to a low-carbon economy. - Border adjustments ensure fairness and competition. Countries with fee and dividend can charge a tariff on imports from countries which aren't pricing carbon in order to ensure a level playing field for goods in the domestic market. - It's good for the climate AND the economy. CCL's research shows that carbon fee and dividend promotes economic growth. CCL empowers empowers individuals to find their voice in the climate debate. Some of the ways it does this are - - by providing toolkits for direct lobbying of local and national elected representatives and their staffs - by training members in getting letters and articles published in print media and online and building relationships with editorial boards - by conducting monthly actions and conference calls with experts to expand members’ knowledge and understanding and develop their capability as agents of change At CCL we believe that pricing carbon is the most powerful mechanism we have available to galvanise the huge transition we need to make in the next few decades away from fossil fuels and towards clean alternatives. With an increasing number of expert endorsements and in this important year for climate action it's clear that the right time has arrived to be pushing governments on this. As James Grant, Former Executive Director of UNICEF, reminds us, Each of the great social achievements of recent decades has come about not because of government proclamations, but because people organized, made demands, and made it good politics for governments to respond. It is the political will of the people that makes and sustains the political will of governments. If you would like to find out more about CCL's work get in touch at [email protected] Connect with us on Facebook and Twitter - CCLUK facebook page - https://www.facebook.com/CitizensClimateLobbyUK CCLUK twitter - @citznsclimateUK Find out more about Citizens' Climate Lobby - CCL Website - http://citizensclimatelobby.org/CCL's Pathway to Paris initiative aims to put carbon pricing centre stage at the Paris COP in December - http://www.pathwaytoparis.org/ Images: Tags: citizens' climate lobby, Citizens' climate lobby, climate change, letsgetdeomcracyworking