Citizen Urges Congress to Prioritize Clean Energy

A Citizens' Climate Lobby volunteer calls for the U.S. to become a clean energy leader during Earth Month.

Apr. 8, 2026 at 4:10pm

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In a letter to the editor, a Citizens' Climate Lobby volunteer from Itasca, Illinois is urging Americans to contact their members of Congress and demand they prioritize clean energy policies to curb human-driven global warming. The letter writer argues that while climate change has occurred naturally over thousands of years, the rapid warming of the planet in the last 200 years is due to human activity like burning fossil fuels, which releases excess carbon dioxide and methane into the atmosphere.

Why it matters

Addressing climate change through a transition to clean energy is a critical issue facing the United States and the world. As one of the world's largest emitters of greenhouse gases, the U.S. has a responsibility to lead the way in developing and deploying renewable energy sources to reduce its environmental impact and mitigate the effects of global warming.

The details

The letter writer calls on Congress to make the U.S. a clean energy leader, not China, and create the jobs that come with it. The writer cites climate scientists' agreement that human activity has caused rapid global warming in the last 200 years, as opposed to natural climate changes that occurred over thousands of years. This rapid warming is disrupting atmospheric moisture flows, leading to more extreme weather events like floods, droughts, and wildfires that harm people, animals, and plants by disrupting habitats.

  • Earth Month is in April.

The players

Gary Jump

A volunteer for the Citizens' Climate Lobby from Itasca, Illinois.

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What they’re saying

“To stop climate change, we must use more clean energy — wind, solar, geothermal, hydroelectric and nuclear. America needs to be the clean energy leader — not China — and create the jobs that go with it.”

— Gary Jump, Citizens' Climate Lobby volunteer

“Treat the earth well. It was not given to you by your parents, it was loaned to you by your children.”

— Gary Jump, Citizens' Climate Lobby volunteer

What’s next

Readers are encouraged to write or call their members of Congress at 202-224-3121 to urge them to prioritize clean energy policies.

The takeaway

This letter highlights the urgent need for the U.S. government to take bold action on climate change by transitioning the country to clean energy sources. As one of the world's largest emitters of greenhouse gases, the U.S. has a responsibility to lead the global effort to mitigate the devastating effects of human-driven global warming.