In his inaugural address, President Obama finally acknowledged publicly that when it comes to climate change, it’s time to act. Yes, it’s time for the government to act. We knew this already.
But did anyone else feel like the President was asking us, the citizens, to act on climate change? We, the people. We, the people. Words he repeated over and over again to emphasize that change happens with us, the people.
We cannot let our time to act pass us by. We must respond to his call.
Congress is compelled by urgency and this urgency comes in the form of citizen action and response. Real change comes from the ground up, not the other way around. We need to ride this momentum, keep climate in the mainstream media, keep pushing our local and state officials to vocalize our concerns about our future. This is, after all, our future. We need to realize that the majority of the populace is with us. We can’t let those vocal few who don’t believe in science to drown out the truth – and drown out our cries for action.
“There is science in the White House.” Yes. Finally, those words were spoken. Isn’t that what we’ve been waiting to hear from our President for over four years?
Doesn’t that mean we have to respond? Doesn’t that mean we have to urge our new Secretary of State to deny the Keystone Pipeline XL, out of principle, for the sake of our future? Doesn’t that mean we have to urge the EPA to implement existing Mercury and Air Toxics Standards in order to reduce coal use? What about holding the EPA to their proposed Carbon Pollution Standards for coal power plants?
In the words of Gus Speth: “few of the measures our country needs are likely to get very far without a vigorous social and political movement that we don’t now have. In today’s America, progressive ideas are unlikely to be turned into action unless they are promoted by powerful citizen demand.”
The President’s inauguration speech was calling us to unite as a nation, to unite as a common voice, to keep pushing forward through setbacks. To make sure his sticks to his word. To push Congress to finally take action and to stop letting us down.
It’s time. Let’s respond to the call.