Weekly Briefing: Fareed Zakaria Tells CNN Audience We Need Carbon Fee And Dividend 

June 23, 2021

Fareed Zakaria, Washington Post columnist and host of CNN’s “Fareed Zakaria GPS,” used the final four minutes of his show on Sunday to tell his audience that the best way to fight climate change is with a carbon fee and dividend.

With our current piecemeal approach of regulations and subsidies, Zakaria said, “The government is adding red tape and picking winners and losers. What if instead we unleashed the power of the market to solve the problem? That's what a carbon tax would do.”

Zakaria also specifically named “the new concept of carbon dividends.” He explained, “The idea is to take at least some of the revenue raised by the carbon tax and give it back to people, sending out checks every few months.”

Some suggestions on using this powerful and persuasive video:

• Share with your members of Congress on social media.
• Play the video at your next chapter meeting.
• Incorporate the video into outreach presentations.

Watch the clip for yourself in Zakaria’s post on Twitter

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In other news this week: 

Cosponsor list keeps growing: Two more cosponsors have been added to the Energy Innovation and Carbon Dividend Act — Rep. Al Lawson (D-FL-05) and Rep. Jared Huffman (D-CA-02). The bill now has 70 cosponsors along with sponsor Rep. Ted Deutch (D-FL-22). You can tweet your appreciation to recent cosponsors with CCL’s online action tool.

CCL’s lobbying push: With the possibility of climate legislation moving early in the current Congress, CCL asked volunteers to meet with congressional offices in March. Volunteers also led another surge in meetings this month, following our virtual conference. CCL Director of Congressional Liaisons and Lobby Days Amy Bennett reports that since March, volunteers have conducted 610 meetings, with 110 of them face-to-face with senators and representatives. You can see posts from some of those meetings in this Twitter thread.

Save Our Future Act overview: Last week, Senators Sheldon Whitehouse and Brian Schatz introduced the Save Our Future Act, a comprehensive carbon pricing bill that also protects the needs of environmental justice and coal communities. If you’d like to learn more about this legislation, check out this new video from CCL Legislative Coordinator Morgan McCue.

Jobs available with CCL: Citizens’ Climate Education is currently hiring for four positions: Development Coordinator, Director of Government Affairs, Content Marketing Manager, and Government Affairs Coordinator.
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Take action this week  
 

If you have a little time - At our virtual conference this month, keynote speaker Dr. Adele Morris told us the Biden administration has been silent on carbon pricing. Write to President Biden and ask him to talk about carbon pricing as part of his climate plan and work with Congress on bipartisan climate legislation that includes carbon fee and dividend.

If you have more time - Check out Climate Mayors to see if your mayor is a member. If they are, meet with them and thank them for committing your city to emission reductions and significant climate action. Whether they are a member or not, ask them to endorse the Energy Innovation and Carbon Dividend Act. 
 

Media: Save Our Future op-ed in coal country 

West Virginia Senator Joe Manchin could be the critical vote when climate legislation comes up for consideration. With that in mind, CCL State Coordinator Jim Probst got an op-ed published in the West Virginia Gazette-Mail this week about the Save Our Future Act, which provides generous compensation for coal miners and their communities. In his piece, Jim mentions what miners would receive under the bill, including salary and benefits for five years plus free tuition at public universities and vocational schools for them and their children. 

“We are in need of a bold, dynamic, far-reaching and comprehensive pathway to addressing what are certainly the most important issues of our time,” Jim wrote. “The Save Our Future Act provides that pathway and I strongly urge our two senators to support this legislation.”

Read Jim's Op-Ed!

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Upcoming trainings 

6/24: Big Tent Climate Talks - Join CCL’s monthly series of conversations with people from organizations outside of CCL as we work to build coalitions with others who are doing important work around climate solutions. This month, we talk with Kevin Bryan from Nature for Justice. Join us! 

6/24: Climate Central: Making It Local, Making It Real - Join Karen Florini from Climate Central for a look at resources her organization offers for climate advocates, including Climate Matters, WeatherPower, Sea Level Rise, and Realtime Climate. Join us! 

7/1: The Power of Republican State Legislator Support for Carbon Pricing: Getting support for carbon pricing from Republican lawmakers at the state level can influence GOP members of Congress. Learn how CCLers are picking up endorsements in Utah, Oregon and Delaware. Join us.

Need training on the basics? Catch our next session of Core Volunteer Training, made for newer volunteers:

6/29: Communicating with Conservatives - CCL Conservative Outreach Director Drew Eyerly leads this training on how to talk to conservatives about the Energy Innovation and Carbon Dividend Act, particularly how the bill aligns with conservative values. Learn more and RSVP. 

To see other topics and past trainings, visit the Training Topics page of CCL Community.

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This week on the CCL blog:  
 

Different ways to price carbon: Several bills to price carbon with differing approaches have been introduced in the 117th Congress. A closer look at the unique features of these bills provides some insight into what may eventually find its way into legislation. Read more.

Volunteer spotlight: Laurie Husted: As the Chief Sustainability Officer at Bard College in upstate New York, Laurie Husted is responsible for helping the university hit its carbon neutrality pledge. She saw that meeting this goal would require a federal policy, and that’s one of the reasons she enthusiastically volunteers with CCL and supports the work as an Evergreen Donor. Read more.