CONTACT YOUR POLITICAL REPRESENTATIVE.
Peaceful protests have been shown to increase climate support, including favorable shifts in climate media coverage and public opinion. One study found increased climate protests were associated with declines in emissions in US states. Plus, joining demonstrations is a great way to meet people with the same goals as you.
Directly contacting your elected representatives is a highly effective political strategy. But it’s under-used. Research by Rebecca Willis, a professor in energy and climate governance at the University of Lancaster, found that UK politicians understood the need for climate action but felt very little pressure from their constituents to make it happen. So get in touch!
Congressional staffers told the OpenGov Foundation that the more personal the contact, the more effort was made to respond
Organizers and legislators told the New York Times that a phone call to your local district office was often most effective. Emails and letters take time to read and sort, but phone calls get tallied right away. Focus on your personal story related to the issue.
Here’s the hard part: take a deep breath, pick up the phone and dial the number! (If you don’t want to talk to a human, call outside of business hours and leave a voicemail.)
- Say you’re a constituent (that means your vote determines whether they stay in office, and it is their job to care what you think).
- Ask to speak to the staffer who works on whatever topic you’re calling about.
- Tell this person you’re concerned that [cars are given priority over people where you live]. Name one specific example that affects you personally, like [a street that’s unsafe for your kid to bike to school]. Make a specific ask for what you want to see changed, like [giving more city space to people instead of cars.]
For bonus points, join existing campaigns or coordinate with friends to make their own calls to raise the issue even higher.
If there’s a specific bill up for a vote, refer to it by number and share whether you want them to support or oppose it.
If your rep has done or said something you support, call and tell them! They will hear plenty from people who don’t like their stance. So they need to hear from you to know their voters support them!