What We Do
Let’s solve this
The people and places we love are already facing the impacts of climate change — and it’s too big of a problem for any of us to fix by ourselves. We need Congress to act.
Our nonpartisan, grassroots advocacy makes it easier for Members of Congress to step up, support effective solutions, and solve this problem.
theory of change
We’re volunteer-powered
Through local activities like these, our volunteers show Congress that it’s safe, smart and popular to act on climate. As a CCL volunteer, you will do things like…
Lobby Congress
Meet regularly with your Senators, your Representative, and their staff about climate solutions.
Read more Show lessCCL staff guides and trains volunteers to hold lobby meetings in D.C. on Capitol Hill, as part of our annual Conference and Lobby Day, or via Zoom at other times during the year. These meetings show Members of Congress that their constituents support climate action and help build their conviction to act.
Media relations
Write and speak about climate solutions in your local newspaper and to local journalists.
Read more Show lessCongress pays attention to the local media conversation — so we make sure climate shows up there. Through thousands of letters to the editor, op-eds, and other media hits every year, we educate our communities and signal to Members of Congress that climate is a top constituent priority.
Grassroots outreach
Talk about climate solutions to your community through local events and presentations.
Read more Show lessTo act on any policy idea, Congress needs to see support from the community. Our volunteers work to build that community support for climate solutions by hosting activities like climate talks, movie screenings, hikes, panel discussions and more. You can always find CCLers staffing informational tables at local farmer’s markets and community events.
Grasstops engagement
Educate and engage your local leaders so they can speak up in support of climate solutions.
Read more Show lessCCL volunteers reach out to mayors, city council members, tribal leaders, local business owners, faith leaders, and other local leaders, activating them to contact Congress about climate solutions. Their voices can be especially powerful and signal to a Member of Congress that it’s politically safe to act on climate.
Chapter development
Organize your local CCL chapter to keep volunteers active, inspired, and effective.
Read more Show lessStrong chapters across the country are vital to this work. Each CCL chapter has a Group Leader or a team of co-leaders, and many chapters also have a Welcome Team. These folks help organize regular chapter meetings, outings, and social activities, and they help new volunteers get started with CCL. The relationships we build with each other make this meaningful work even more enjoyable!
Policy Work
Our policy commitments
Our grassroots advocacy is geared at solving the problem of climate change. Specifically, we are committed to advancing federal legislation that gets us closer to these three goals:
Reduce emissions
Climate change is caused by too much heat-trapping gas in Earth’s atmosphere. We support policies that make it easier to build and connect clean energy. This can dramatically reduce our emissions and stop climate change from getting worse, creating a safer, healthier world for ourselves and future generations.
Research Says
Deep, rapid, and sustained mitigation would […] lead to a discernible slowdown in global warming within around two decades [and] deliver many co-benefits, especially for air quality and health.
Remove climate pollution
Many of Earth’s natural systems, like our forests, oceans, and even our soil itself, can remove excess heat-trapping gas out of the air. Human technology to do the same is advancing every day. We support policies that help Earth’s natural systems and emerging technology draw more and more of our past pollution out of the atmosphere, helping bring our climate back in balance.
Research Says
Carbon dioxide removal is not a substitute for deep emissions reductions, but it is an important tool that should be deployed in tandem with other mitigation methods.
Protect people
Climate change is here, and it’s already hurting people with record-breaking fires, floods, hurricanes, and heat waves. We support policies that will boost our resilience to the climate impacts that we’re feeling today and proactively adapt so we are better protected into the future. With every policy, CCL considers the financial burden on people across America, working to ensure that every household feels the benefits of climate action and clean energy.
Research Says
The earlier the adaptation measures are implemented, the more the world will benefit.
Find Your Fit at CCL
There’s a place in CCL just for you
Now that you understand a bit about what we do, answer six questions — about three minutes — to get a personalized recommendation of how to get started as a CCL volunteer.
Go Deeper
Citizens’ Climate 2026 Strategic Plan Overview
Learn how CCL’s programs and policy commitments work together in our overall strategy.
Are you ready to solve climate change?
Volunteers like you are working together for national climate action. Join today to be one of them!