Act on Climate by Using Your Vote This November

In a midterm where voters are often unenthusiastic about voting, we would like to stress the importance of getting to the polls this upcoming Tuesday. After all the momentum of the People’s Climate March, UN Climate Summit and new proposed climate actions President Obama presented this past summer, we must ensure that the momentum continues, using the power of our vote to elect representatives that will further climate action in the United States. By kicking out climate change deniers and electing climate champions (or at least policy-makers that don’t doubt climate science), we can not only make way for mitigation measures in the United States but also for an international agreement in 2015 at the UN climate talks in Paris.

Get familiar with local and state candidates. Is your state up for a congressional election? What about for state governor? What do these candidates represent? Are they still dubious of climate science? NextGen Climate has a great website that highlights climate -denial candidates up for election in Florida, Colorado, Iowa, Pennsylvania, New Hampshire, Maine and Michigan. Grist has also recognized candidates in South Dakota and Wisconsin that have greener credentials than their opponents. You can also check out the list of candidates that the League of Conservation Voters have endorsed in your state: check out Connecticut‘s,  Maryland‘s and California‘s here.

Fellow millennials we are talking to you: climate change will have the largest impact on our lives. We are also the ones that tend to care most about energy efficiency, renewables, and reducing GHG emissions. Yet as Grist points out, we are the ones that often fail to show up to the polls during midterms. As cliche as it sounds, we can make a difference, and we should. Become familiar with your local and state candidates, and make a decision that will have a positive impact on your life, your future and your world.

Still need a reason to care about climate change enough to get to the polls? Check out our three-piece series on Why You Should Care About Climate Change. From allergies, to insurance, to our favorite outdoor sports, climate change will have an effect on us all.