AP Photo/Lauren Victoria Burke
DCL
Some of us are angry that the climate bill passed in the House was so weak. Some of us think it's too useless to pass. Some of us don't even know what it does, or even what cap and trade is. Some of us are sick and tired of politicians getting it wrong (or doing nothing at all) when it comes to taking action against climate change.
But how many of us wrote a letter to any of them?
Not many, I can say with utmost confidence. It's pretty easy to forget that the way our democracy is supposed to operate is that our elected officials act in our best interests, according to the needs of the folks they represent—they're supposed to listen to their constituencies, remember. But they can't base all of their decisions on pubic opinion polls—they need to hear from actual people, too.
The climate bill already passed the House of Representatives, bruised and battered as it was. Now, it's languishing in the Senate until September, when it's scheduled to be again brought to the floor.
In the meantime, why not pen a letter—yes, a real letter, on real paper (this is the only time you're likely to get such advice from this website, by the way) if you feel strongly that the US has to take a more aggressive stand against climate change. That real letter, ever more the rarity, will stand apart from the pack, and may even get read by a real senator?s aide! Perhaps even the senator, if you're lucky. State your concerns for the amount of greenhouse gases the US is emitting, and your hopes for more support for renewable energy. You just might make a tiny difference. Why not ask your friends to do the same? Why not ask your virtual friends on Facebook and Twitter to do the same?
If you don't have that kind of time, an email will do, though the difference, and chances of it being read, is likely to be tinier. Or, if you're really strapped for time, head over to the NRDC's website, where they have a pre-drafted message you can sign and send with an e-signature. There's no excuse for not doing at least this one.
Because some of us still hope that a stronger energy bill can be crafted (though I'm not saying I'm one of them, but that's the cynic in me . . .), and if we don't do anything to make our voices heard, we'll be partly to blame.
Got a tip or a post idea for us to write about on Planet Green? Email pgtips (at) treehugger (dot) com.
