"Thank you all for being here today, to raise awareness and swing into action on climate change! How incredibly rewarding and rejuvenating it is to be speaking to you in front of the Federal Building as the group leader in Utah for the Citizens Climate Lobby. The Citizens Climate Lobby is an international, nonprofit, nonpartisan organization comprised of 40 groups in the US and Canada. Specifically, our organization lobby’s at the federal level to place a steadily increasing fee on carbon emissions at the source with 100% of the revenue returned to American households. This proposed legislation is designed to provide the incentive for the economy to drive a transition to clean energy, create jobs and reduce emissions. It is direct and transparent.
Today we are asking all levels of government to swing into action on climate change, and although faced with difficult times, there lies opportunity for all of us to be a part of the solution. I believe that the answers we seek are before us, and we must embrace the challenge together, not separated by perspective but joined by humanity.
Lets embrace this issue as one cohesive group and encourage one another to utilize our specific skills to address climate change from many angles. We must draw on our determination to build the environmental movement.
Placing a fee on carbon is not the only solution to address climate change, but rather a necessary component. With Congressional approval so low, the challenge we have is to create the political will for our leaders to respond to. We cannot accomplish this task alone. I ask all of you to write your representatives and ask for effective climate legislation, and to keep asking. We must take advantage of our right as citizens.
We have the capacity for greatness. Join me and the Citizens Climate Lobby, focused at the federal level or use your talents in other areas. There is nothing to loose to believe that anything is possible. Right here, right now, we can set an example as a group of individuals building as broad an audience as possible. Know your audience and be a catalyst to engage your specific community.
We cannot wait for others to lead but to lead ourselves and our success will identify our generation."
