The Citizen’s Role in the Climate Crisis
I’m typing my final blog on my flight back to the United States. I honestly cannot believe that the study abroad program is over. This may have been one of the most transformative months in my life and it came at the heels of the most instructive semester of my life. I’m really thankful for both my time in DC and Costa Rica because both of them give me a better view of what I, and others, can do to change systems at large. I’ve learned a lot and I’m compelled to use my knowledge, my time, and my skills to make the world a better place.
Last week, I talked about climate change and the Global North’s failure to take adequate responsibility for this crisis. This week, the Model UN and US Senate simulations showcased how the United States could be dysfunctional when it came to climate policy. The reality of the climate crisis is that we need immediate and aggressive action at the highest level of government. Instead, the United States, the nation with the most fiscal and technological resources to address the climate crisis, is allowing its political structure to block crucial climate action.
I sometimes wonder if the inaction would be as grave as it is if policymakers understood the extent of the crisis. I truly did not understand the urgency and gravity of the crisis until our class read the piece Six Degrees. Six Degrees laid out scenarios for various nations across the globe that would be affected by the climate crisis. The chapters of two degrees and three degrees of warming were incredibly terrifying because they highlighted how close we were to the dramatic changes in the world’s biomes and the potential collapse of civilization as we know it. During our discussion, it seemed like our class was deeply distributed and moved by the piece, Six Degrees. They seemed to understand the extent of the crisis better than our lawmakers.
I saw Six Degrees, my own experiences with government dysfunction. and the grandmother’s health failure as a rallying call for me: if I actually care about the climate crisis, now is the time to get up and fight back. There’s no more sitting on the sidelines for me. Technically, everyone can fight back with their individual economic power. Yet in practice, it’s difficult for individuals to switch their source of electricity from fossil fuels to renewables or buy an electric vehicle. Our power as individuals lies in our ability to collectively organize. We all have ties to institutions that can do more to combat climate change, whether it be Indiana University, Duke Energy, the State of Indiana, or the United States of America government. People have to rally together to move these institutions to stop their lip service and take dramatic action on this crisis.
What am I going to do in the short term?
In the short term, I’m going to move out to Nevada and work for Senator Cortez Masto’s campaign. Every single vote in the US Senate is necessary to pass climate legislation in the following session of Congress. With how many climate deniers and climate skeptics hold seats in the US Senate, we must fight to keep every Senator who supports addressing the climate crisis. After working on Senator Cortez Masto’s Energy and Natural Resource portfolio, I have a better understanding of how Senator Cortez Masto understands the extent of the climate crisis and is willing to utilize her standing to advance climate action. I am further motivated to work on Senator Cortez Masto’s race because it will be one of the most competitive races in the nation this fall. Nevada is a purple state that has been trending Republican over the past few election cycles. Every vote will matter in this election. As an organizer, the tactics that I employ could be critical for the outcome in November. This election is also important because of the balance of power currently held in the United States Senate. There are 50 Democrats and 50 Republicans, meaning that the loss of one Democratic seat could give Republicans the majority of the chamber. Senate Republicans are not concerned with climate action. If the Democrats lose the majority this fall, there may not be a chance for climate action until the next decade and at that point, the effects of climate change will be harshly felt by the entire world.
My job on campaign starts on July 5th. I currently don’t have an end date. When I initially applied for the job, I thought that I would finish it up in time for the fall semester to start. The experiences of this trip have me questioning that idea entirely. If this crisis is as urgent and deadly as I learned about in class, then I should dedicate more time to ensuring the US Senate is best equipped to handle it. I’m now actively considering taking a semester off from school in the fall to work on Senator Cortez Masto’s campaign.
Senator Cortez Masto
What am I going to do in the long term?
To be completely honest, I’m too scared to think of my future after my graduation in Spring 2023. I’m going to simply take life as it comes, one year at a time. I’ve had some ideas about simply embracing organizing as a long-term career and this summer (and potentially this fall) will help me understand how organizing will fit into my life. If not organizing for competitive US congressional races, I may try to pursue action at other levels, including international or state. I believe that governmental action can solve this crisis in its current form, but this will be less true as time continues to tick and lives continue to be lost to the climate crisis.
I thoroughly enjoyed this trip abroad. I was so ready to come home at the end of it, but I truly learned so much about climate change from other individuals, lived experiences and class material. I have much to think about over the next few weeks as my life may take an unexpected spin.
Sources
Lynas, M. (2008). Six degrees: Our future on a hotter planet.
U.S. Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources. (n.d.). U.S. Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources. Retrieved June 21, 2022, from https://www.energy.senate.gov/
Citations
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