Issue: Clean Energy

 
Join the Climate Advocacy Lab for a Peer Learning Exchange on how leaders across the climate movement are relating to Inflation Reduction Act (IRA).

Like many of you, the Lab team has been exploring how we can best support the climate movement at this critical moment, with nearly a trillion dollars on the table to reshape the climate and energy landscape following the passage of the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA),  Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA), and CHIPS & Science Act. Simultaneously, we know communities across the country continue to suffer from the impacts and fight build-out of the extractive, polluting fossil fuel industry – including many of my neighbors across the Southeast, calling on President Biden to oppose the Mountain Valley Pipeline.

From studying past social movements, the Lab has learned that the transformational change necessary to equitably address the climate crisis is more likely to occur when multiracial, cross-class (MRXC) movements* claim their collective power, expand the imagination of what’s possible, and organize and mobilize people at scale. In the last 5 years, the Sunrise Movement has demonstrated a commitment to learning and practice on multiracial, cross-class movement building. This week’s newsletter features reflections and lessons from Lab member and Deputy Organizer Director at Sunrise, Dejah Powell. As a Lab member yourself, you can read the full report* on how Sunrise has been working to build a movement across race and class, and the implications and learnings based on those efforts. This report was developed as part of the Lab’s Climate Justice Microgrant Program.

Describe the clean energy aspects of the IRA (Inflation Reduction Act) as a “landmark achievement” to address climate change and show off local benefits to communities, rather than as a way for people to save money. This is one insight from the Potential Energy Coalition’s research after they surveyed over 15,000 people, tested dozens of messages and gathered hundreds of hours of interview data from Americans across the political spectrum in the past nine months. All to answer the question, what is the best way to talk about clean energy that gets Americans excited? This webinar also covered the public’s current state of opinion and knowledge on these topics, other effective messages and messaging traps to avoid, plus wording guidance.