Did you know that Unitarian Universalists are some of the most active in Citizens’ Climate Lobby? This nonprofit, nonpartisan organization represents one of the biggest movements for climate legislation, and UUs have been putting their faith into action by being one of the loudest voices!
Founded in 2007, Citizens’ Climate Lobby (CCL) has grown to 185,000 members in over 600 chapters across over 60 countries, with 85 different action teams: of the 11 faith-based action teams in CCL, the UU chapter is the largest, with about 160 active volunteers.
CCL rallies around one distinct goal: passing federal legislation, known as the Energy Innovation and Carbon Dividend Act (EICDA), that would put a fee on carbon emissions and redistribute the money, a form of carbon pricing and dividend.
UUs see direct parallels between CCL’s values and UU principles: CCL’s bipartisanship nourishes democracy, and CCL groups see that by charging fossil fuel polluters, the economy will shift in favor of renewable energy sources, creating jobs along the way. One hundred percent of the dividend goes to U.S. households, not the government, contributing to economic growth and equity.
After the EICDA was first introduced in Congress in 2018, the UUA endorsed the legislation in March 2019. In addition to the UUA’s endorsement, 29 UU congregations and 13 UU ministers have also endorsed the bill, with numbers growing. Unitarian Universalist Congressional representatives Ami Bera (D-CA) and Judy Chu (D-CA) are among the co-sponsors.
LEARN MORE about the UU CCL Action Team by watching this video and find ways to get involved below.
GET INVOLVED
- Make an account on CreateClimateJustice.Net and join “The UU Action Team of Citizen’s Climate Lobby” group
- The UU Action Team of CCL meets on the third Monday of odd-numbered months at 5pm PT/8pm ET. Register for the next meeting in the CCJnet group
- Attend a weekly CCL information session, held on Wednesdays at 5pm PT/8pm ET. Sign up for the next one!
- Join, or start, a local CCL chapter in your area