Weekly Briefing: How CCLers help create the conditions for climate action

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May 27, 2026

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Do you ever find yourself wondering how exactly our advocacy work translates into real change in Congress? How a lobby meeting, a tabling event, a letter to the editor, or a relationship built over years actually help move climate policy forward?

That’s exactly what we explore in CCL’s recent training on our Theory of Change.

In this special edition BRIDGE training, CCL staff walk through the three conditions we believe are necessary for a Member of Congress to take meaningful action on climate policy: undeniable support, strong conviction, and political safety.

When a given climate policy has undeniable support from constituents, it's showing up in visible, consistent ways across different parts of the district. The support is broad, noticeable, and difficult to ignore.
When a Member of Congress experiences strong conviction around a policy, they're making an internal judgment that the policy is worthwhile and aligned with their sense of what is right or beneficial.
When it's politically safe to support a policy, that means a Member of Congress judges that it will not harm their political standing—and may even strengthen it—because there is sufficient support or acceptance among their voters and allies.

“As advocates, we’re not just asking members of Congress to support climate policy. We’re actually helping create these three conditions that make their support possible,” explains Brett Cease, CCL's VP of Field Operations.

That's how the work happening in local CCL chapters creates change in Washington — all our volunteers' work on the ground contributes to the conditions lawmakers need to act on climate solutions.

"I encourage all CCL volunteers to check out this training to get more familiar with these concepts and understand how they can help inform the work we do," Brett added.

Get a clearer picture of how CCL’s advocacy strategy fits together and why we do what we do we do each and every day. Check out the full training for yourself!

Watch the Recording

Take action this week

If you have a little time: Read and share our Earth Month recap. For most CCLers each year, Earth Month marks the start of outdoor tabling season and tons of local events. During our busiest (and favorite!) month of the year, CCLers were hard at work in their communities. From stress balls to stewardship, take a look at some of the creative endeavors we saw out in the field in April. Then share them with your network on Facebook, X, or Bluesky.

If you have more time: Register and recruit for CCL’s Summer Conference. Every summer, we fill the halls of Congress with CCL volunteers! Itʼs time to start planning to do it again this year at our Summer Conference and Lobby Day (July 26-28, 2026). Register yourself, then post on social media to let your friends know where you’ll be this July. You can also invite others to join you and work out a plan to carpool, share a room, or other cost-cutting measures. With your help, weʼll make this yearʼs event another strong showing in support of climate action.

Featured chapter: CCL Orange County South

CCLers brought an extra dose of fun and creativity to this year’s Earth Month outreach. CCL Orange County South chapter has a presence at the San Clemente Garden Fest each year, thanks to Donna Vidrine, an active CCLer who is also a co-chair of the Garden Fest.

This year, group co-leader Larry Kramer said, “We gave away Earth Day stress balls to everyone who wrote down what they are doing or will do to make the earth a better place. That proved to be a great conversation starter.” People shared a wide range of activities, with a few themes emerging: supporting pollinators and wildlife with gardens, driving electric or hybrid cars, and voting for politicians who support climate action.

Great work, CCL OC South!

Find this and other stories of CCL's 2026 Earth Month outreach in this blog post.

Upcoming trainings & events

5/28: Messaging for Impact: Permitting Reform Wrap-Up - This final session in our permitting reform training series brings everything together with a focus on effective communication. We’ll recap key concepts across the major topics and highlight tailored messages that resonate with different audiences—including Republican and Democratic offices. Participants will learn how to confidently apply these messages to advance durable permitting solutions. Join us!

5/31: Youth Lobby Skills Training - Whether you are a student age 13-18 who plans to join us in Washington, D.C., this summer or who wants to advocate for changes at your school or in your town, knowing how to lobby effectively is a great skill to have. During this special 2-hour "youth train youth" event from the National Youth Action Team, on May 31 at 4 p.m. ET, students will receive interactive training and plenty of practice on a fun lobbying topic. Questions? Email youth@citizensclimatelobby.org or register now to join us!

6/4: AI and Advocacy: Keeping Relationships at the Center - In this expansion of BRIDGE Training 5: Advocacy Detective, CCL staff will help volunteers understand how AI tools may help you conduct research on your Member of Congress, district dynamics, committee priorities, and trusted messengers. We'll cover practical prompting techniques, how to spot and reduce hallucinations, and what to verify. We'll also briefly discuss AI's energy demand and how CCL approaches it through the lens of clean, reliable energy. The throughline: AI is one more tool to help you become a more thoughtful, informed advocate — not a replacement for the relationships at the heart of CCL's work. Join us!

To see other events and CCL trainings, visit the Live Events Calendar on CCL Community.

Posted by Elissa Tennant on May 27, 2026 7:08 PM America/Los_Angeles