Volunteers gathered for 10th annual Citizens Climate Lobby Northeast Regional Conference on April 4 and 5 at Union College in Schenectady, NY. The 178 attendees learned from experts, organized their climate actions and refined their skills as nonpartisan climate advocates. (Peter Dugas)

Peter Dugas

Take courage, climate-anxious Americans: There is so much we can do to decarbonize our communities and advance our transition towards a clean energy future. People from all backgrounds are meeting this critical moment with courage to organize, speak up, and take action to build the political will for a livable world.

As the new federal administration continues to do all it can to unravel recent climate progress, volunteer climate advocates with Citizens Climate Lobby (CCL) remain resolved to do all they can for effective and equitable climate solutions. Undaunted by today’s challenging politics, 178 intrepid volunteers gathered for their 10th annual Citizens Climate Lobby Northeast Regional Conference to learn from experts, organize their climate actions and refine their skills as nonpartisan climate advocates in the months and years ahead. The conference was held on April 4 and 5 at Union College in Schenectady, NY.

CCL has a well-deserved reputation for providing top-flight education and training to their volunteers. This year’s Northeast Regional Conference might have been the best yet – with an unprecedented 16 breakout sessions offering informative and practical skills to motivated and curious volunteers. Here are some highlights (with, of course, corresponding actions).

CCL New Hampshire State Coordinator, John Gage, led a thorough update on CCL’s signature policy (which the EU describes as a “necessary condition” for stabilizing the climate) in his “Growing Carbon Pricing Gap.” As the U.S. continues as the only developed nation without a price on industrial carbon pollution, and with coming impacts from 2026’s EU, UK and Japanese carbon tariffs, it is imperative to build support and understanding for cashback carbon pricing. Please contact your lawmakers to ask for this most effective and equitable policy through cclusa.org/write-cfd.

Paul Kane, CCL Rochester, New York chapter leader and liaison to Senator Chuck Schumer, led a robust breakdown of the best resources and strategies to defend clean energy investments contained in recent groundbreaking legislation like the Inflation Reduction Act and bipartisan Infrastructure Law. As Congress works to craft a budget, CCL needs calls to Congress to defend these historic clean energy incentives – please contact your lawmakers NOW using CCL’s quick and easy preformatted and scripted action link cclusa.org/action. These actions have proven effectiveness but sadly, few Americans take the 30 seconds to take these actions. Thank you for adding your voice and please encourage your friends and family to do so as well.

Natasha Perez of Alliance for Climate Transition gave a rousing talk on the need to fight Clean Energy Misinformation. Industries benefiting from our continued reliance on fossil fuels are flooding media platforms with misinformation designed to breed confusion and slow our transition away from clean energy. Learn more about clean energy misinformation in your community and how you can rebuff these misguided efforts at joinact.org/poweringtomorrow.

Matthew Rolnick of the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission’s Office of Public Participation shed light on how energy markets work, how ISO New England / ISO New York choses their energy sources and pricing, and how consumers can advocate for renewables in our electrical grid.

CCL’s Massachusetts State Coordinator, Gary Rucinski, led an inspiring workshop on how we can best build political will for robust climate action through CCL’s “five levers.” By envisioning success in lobbying, grassroots, “grasstops” (community, business and faith leader engagement), media and chapter development, we can move beyond tactics and towards long-term strategy to achieve climate success.

CCL student Advocacy Fellows, Hope Legermann and Lily Maenza, led a discussion on how to engage college students on local climate action and global climate policy. Learn how college students are asking lawmakers for climate solutions at cfdmovement.org.

CCL leaders from Maine, Massachusetts, and Rhode Island led a survey of local climate actions including Community Choice Aggregation, a way for communities to take control of their local electricity, accelerate adoption of clean energy sources, and reduce costs (learn more at thecleanenergyalliance.org).

There were also wonderful talks on battery storage and how to advocate for this crucial technology, from David Alicea of Greenlight America (greenlightamerica.org); how to depolarize and build bridges for bipartisan climate action through Braver Angels (braverangels.org); improving our communication skills through motivational interviewing; gaining perspectives from climate-anxious conservatives; and the artist’s role in responding to the climate crisis.

With the incredible information and skills shared, the fellowship and connection were the biggest highlight. Knowing so many people work so hard to build a future we know is possible and necessary was incredibly inspiring. Whether it’s our next regional conference or CCL’s National Conference and Lobby Day July 20-22 in Washington D.C., we hope you can join us to do all we can to maintain a livable world for ourselves and our children. Regardless of the headwinds we will face and choppy seas surrounding us, we know climate success is possible. Never forget: Action is the antidote to despair!