Whitney Bauck at The Guardian has a great feature on Climate Cabinet:
... an organization focused on supporting pro-climate candidates in under-the-radar races at the state or city level. Climate Cabinet uses data science to comb through the more than 500,000 public offices that US citizens have the opportunity to vote on every cycle, identifies candidates who could make a real impact on the climate, and offers them financial and policy support.
Climate Cabinet has had extraordinary impact by getting climate-aware candidates elected at local levels where they can make a huge difference:
“There has been so much focus on national politics in the last decade that people are missing really monumental decisions that are happening at the local level. The nine members of the Naperville city council have a major impact on one of the 10 largest greenhouse gas generators in the country,” said Holzhauer. “We’ve had two elections the last four years, and both of those elections were decided by under 60 votes.”
Bauck makes an important point about how this approach isn't limited to climate issues:
Though Climate Cabinet’s approach is focused specifically on climate, its focus on using local offices to advance action offers a blueprint for anyone looking for ways to make progress in a challenging political moment. Holzhauer, the city council member from Naperville, said he saw local government as a “lab” where leaders can try out policies that can sometimes go on to influence broader policy, citing two separate bans Naperville passed on assault weapons and puppy mills – both of which Illinois eventually decided to implement statewide.
It's a great article, well worth a read. It reminds me how much change can happen all over the country, even when the federal government is dismissing the needs of the people.
