Congress doesn't create political will; they respond to it.  The only thing missing is the Political Will for a Livable World.  What is the solution to global warming?  Closing the growing US carbon price gap with a cash-back carbon fee and a CBAM is half the solution.   The associated US CBAM, in harmony with the CBAMS of the EU, UK, and others, will drive a strong carbon price worldwide.  A high carbon price makes all the other complementary policies we also need far easier to implement. 

How can we build the political will needed for bipartisan legislation of CF&D? Through concerned people working on a broad spectrum of projects that create overlapping, self-reinforcing areas of understanding and support across society.   Here are some ideas.

Actions and Projects List

1. Send Congress an email. Use Citizens' Climate Lobby (CCL)'s quick webform to send a monthly email to your Congressional delegation asking them to support Carbon Fee and Dividend legislation: cclusa.org/write-cfd. Then encourage others to do the same.

2. Election season actions:  Ask a climate question in town hall settings.  This may lead to a follow-up discussion where you can share the Economists’ Statement on Carbon Dividends, the CF&D laser talk, the Household Impact Study, and the “The Growing U.S. Carbon Price Gap” article (available for printing at carboncashback.org/cfdresources). For more context and a good climate question to ask, see bit.ly/talk-climate-with-candidates (valid for 2026).  An NH example of how this can put climate in the news cycle and reveal candidates who have good or not-so-good plans.

3. Meet individually with candidates to introduce them to CF&D.  A small team can schedule meetings with state and federal candidates in coffee shops or similar venues to learn their position on climate change and policy, then share what we know from experts:  template meeting agenda.  Also see this discussion about the idea on CCL Community.

4. Table at polling sites on election day to put climate change in voters' minds:  Set up a Climate Voter Information table to create opportunities to talk with candidates and build relationships with engaged voters.  Inform people about the market failure, the CF&D solution, and its many co-benefits.  In the November 2024 election, I positioned a table between the Trump folks and the town Dems.  I had good conversations with many in the public on their way in to vote, helping put climate on their minds right before they cast their ballots.  Some MAGA folks were tabling on one side of my table.  We chatted throughout the day - me sharing some information about billionaires, fossil fuel industry-funded front groups, and how CF&D is a market-based, revenue-neutral pollution reducer that holds China accountable.  They were interested.  On the other side of the table, I met and connected with the Democrat candidate who went on to win the NH02 Congressional seat.

5. Clipboard, table, and speak at democracy rallies.  Share concerns about billionaires working to replace our democracy with a plutocracy, and connect and spread awareness of the need and benefits of Carbon Cash-Back legislation.  The growing public resistance against efforts to concentrate power and replace the U.S. democracy with an authoritarian regime presents an opportunity to expand the climate movement's reach beyond environmentalists.  "Fossil fuel billionaires have worked for decades to keep their pollution free to maximize their profits at our expense.  Do you think it should be free to pollute?  No, of course not!  It shouldn't be free to pollute. We need to charge fossil fuel billionaires for their climate pollution and return the money to us. We can make it no longer free to pollute, and you'll get the money back, with a policy called Carbon Fee and Dividend. Write Congress to support CF&D legislation and sign up with a group if you want to do more than that."  Sample tabling posters.  See also: speaking suggestions in the notes under slide #51 of the presentation slides at The Growing U.S. Carbon Price Gap. 

6. Collect endorsements for CF&D from community, business, and elected leaders.  Working on this motivates local volunteer CF&D grasstops actions throughout the year.  Maintain a state- and district-level CF&D endorsements list.  Share the endorsement list annually at CCL Summer Lobby meetings, when requesting new endorsements, during meetings with candidates and state policymakers, and while tabling, as an example of what we do.

7. Collect municipal resolutions for state and federal CF&D legislation.  Resolutions: 34 NH towns, 3 NH cities (carboncashback.org), 30 ME towns (carboncashback4me.org), and many more across the country.

8. Join CCL's Carbon Pricing Action Team.  CCL offers a wide variety of training, support, and resources for citizens who want to build political will for CF&D.  The CPAT members include highly regarded economists who share their carbon pricing wisdom on the Forum, and many long-time CCL members with years of experience advocating for CF&D.  This is a place to design and share CF&D political will-building ideas and experiences with others from around the country.  Zoom meetings are held monthly.  Join here (if you are not already a CCL member, you'll have to join CCL first, which you can also do from the same page).

9. Help grow the CFD Movement.  Students in clubs can learn about and join this movement for their school at cfdmovement.org.  For everyone else:  join the CCL Friends of CFD Movement, a group that meets monthly to help connect student clubs with the CFD Movement. 
   Resources:

   1. 1. Initiate contact with a school club.

      2. Deliver an inspirational meeting.

      3. Monthly meetings on the 3rd Sunday of the month at 7:00 pm ET on Zoom: cfdmovement.org/call. The idea is to grow the CFD Movement by many more schools each year to increase the number of students writing Congress for CF&D.  Future nationwide “Most Effective Pizza Party” events could attract national media attention.  Students at schools in the CFD Movement put up flyers, table, offer teach-ins, Talk Climate with Candidates, collect a CF&D policy endorsement from their school, ask their economics professors to sign on to the Economists’ Statement on Carbon Dividends, and much more.

10. Connect with and inspire influencers to become CF&D advocates.  Some highly respected climate-solution leaders make the task of building political will for CF&D more difficult by saying that carbon pricing “won’t happen.”  These trusted messengers make our job more difficult - e.g., NGOs, media, the Sierra Club, David Roberts, Heatmap, Jesse Jenkins, Bill McKibben, Leah Stokes, and Gueneve Gunther.  Since no one can know what is possible, and the IPCC says we cannot achieve a safe climate future without a strong global carbon price, we need to figure out how to enlist powerful voices in building the political will needed for Congress to price carbon as soon as possible.  E.g., Community discussion.

11. State legislative action:   Use op-eds, letters to the editor, and written and in-person testimony at state legislative hearings on bills that provide opportunities to educate about and build support for CF&D.  Ask for endorsements.  Work in a coalition of like-minded groups to help expand reach (e.g., newhampshirenetwork.org/NH-bills).  Example bills:

    1. 1. Proxy carbon pricing for state procurement of vehicles and building HVAC (NH 2025 HB278);

       2. A study on the likelihood, impacts, and how to prepare for a federal CF&D (NH 2025 HB306;

       3. A resolution for federal CF&D legislation (eg., CA and HI);  and

       4. Support complementary bills that prepare for a federal carbon price, such as investments in energy efficiency, electrification, and clean energy deployment.  Oppose bad bills, and use them as teachable moments (e.g., NH 2026 HB1455).

12. In every lobby meeting, allocate at least 5 minutes for a CF&D discussion.  This year, we are discussing topics in the "Growing U.S. Carbon Price Gap" article (bit.ly/carbon-price-gap-article), delivering the CF&D endorsements list, sharing stories of recent efforts, and asking what else would help:  Fall 2025 Lobby Meeting Carbon Pricing Topics.

13. Network with other groups - join and help inform other groups about CF&D, and encourage them to advocate for it also.  E.g., CCL NH members actively contribute to the newhampshirenetwork.org.

14. CF&D tabling.  Using a standard set of CCL and CF&D tabling materials enables training new volunteers and can be replicated easily.  Earth Day events, sustainability fairs, and other community gatherings are good places to table.  A single flyer can be used to connect the standard CF&D tabling material to any event (even democracy rallies). Standard table resources:  Who is CCL; how do climate policies compare (En-ROADS); how does CF&D make carbon pricing equitable, good for business, harmonize with the climate policies of other countries, and hold free-polluting countries accountable; and what can you do to help create political will for CF&D.  Table at climate, environment, energy, democracy, etc. events.  CF&D Tabling/Meeting Materials (PDFs) are available at carboncashback.org/resources and also at cfdmovement.org => Resources => Tabling Supplies:

    1. 1. CF&D is half the 1.5 solution (En-ROADS)

       2. The Economists’ Statement on Carbon Dividends

       3. CCL’s CF&D laser talk

       4. CCL Household Impact Study two-page summary (and Figure 1 & 2 flyer).

       5. History of the Energy Innovation Act & potential CF&D policy updates

       6. The Growing U.S. Carbon Price Gap article (talking points:  who will lead the next technological revolution; the U.S. carbon advantage; the required price to meet goals; carbon pricing is spreading, prices are rising, and CBAMs are coming)

       7. CFD Movement: 1) Most Effective Climate Policy flyer, 2) photo collage of CFD Movement action, 3) Students in CFD Movement article (all three available in the CFD Movement file at carboncashback.org/resources).

       8. NH CF&D endorsements list

       9. CF&D actions flyer (write Congress, call Congress, endorse federal CF&D)

15. Write a Letter to the Editor or an article. Pick a timely topic and connect it to climate change and CF&D. Publish it online (LinkedIn, social media, etc.) or send it to local papers.  For example: "Addressing Inflation, high gas prices, and pollution."  More article samples you can summarize (or customize) and publish are available here.

16. Library climate display (e.g., for Earth Month or Half Earth Month): bit.ly/library-climate-display.  This can be done by a CCL volunteer working directly with a local library, or suggested for a high school student project for personal interest or community service hours.  The purpose is to share information on climate science and economics, as well as the CF&D policy.

17. Teach “Help Solve Climate Change!”, a class designed to share the science, economics, policies, and politics of climate change and inspire students to take action with friends or a club at their school (join cfdmovement.org).  Modify these materials to suit your style and opportunity:
        - Class guide for an in-person two-hour session (method:  walking down tabs in a browser through 20 references).
        - Class guide for a 1-hour virtual session.
        - 50-minute recording of a 2021 virtual session (pre-CFD Movement).

Or perhaps the slides for "Climate Change Solutions" are more your style. 

18. Lobby Congress. CCL gives volunteers opportunities to lobby Congress, and other businesses and groups do the same.  In every lobby meeting plan, set aside 5-8 minutes for a substantive discussion of carbon pricing and CF&D. A fall 2025 example.

19. Find a good billionaire. CCL has operated on about $5 million a year for a long time, but that is not enough to get info-ads into media, hand out free CF&D merch, and be a prominent sponsor at environment, energy, and climate events across the country.  If you come across a good billionaire, ask for permission to pitch them on a donation of several million dollars a year to help change the course of human civilization for the better.  If they give you the chance, flip through the key resources from carboncashback.org/resources with them, and ask them to help make history.

20. Merchants of Doubt.  Learn about and, when appropriate, share information on the polluting industry's influence on state and federal climate policies.  Help others understand the “two-faced game” that has been played on us for decades by the fossil fuel industry:  notnotter.org/the-game.
    
    

For training, resources, and support for your efforts working the Levers of Creating Political Will for a livable world, consider joining a group to connect with and collaborate with like-minded people from across the political spectrum (e.g., Citizens' Climate Lobby).