How and Why to Advocate for Climate Policy in the Workplace - A Key Lever for Change
To decarbonize at the speed and scale required, companies need to lead on broad systemic change, which requires them to be all in on climate, especially on supporting public policy. Employees have a key role to play in driving this change and urging employers to wield their influence through lobbying, trade association memberships, and public statements to advocate for bold climate policies everywhere they operate.
As an employee or future employee, you have influence within your company, and companies have a lot of power when it comes to policy. To achieve net-zero goals, a 50 percent reduction in carbon emissions by 2030, and key benchmarks laid out in the Paris Climate Agreement, we need robust federal, state, and local public policy to drive change at the speed and scale required.
While engaging in public policy on climate may seem daunting, it is perhaps the most important lever that employees can engage when working to advance sustainability and climate goals. In addition to the important work on decarbonizing operations, employees can and should use their influence to move companies to advocate for strong climate policy — one of the most important levers in creating meaningful systemic change.
When climate-forward companies step up more effectively in the policy arena — as Apple, Google, Salesforce and Microsoft recently did in the fight for a strong climate disclosure law in California — it can make all the difference for policy progress. It is absolutely critical that companies in all industries use their powerful political influence to support ambitious climate action. Unfortunately, companies’ political influence is most often obstructive, acting against climate action and not in support. Employees need to understand how companies are engaging in the political sphere - and what to do to counter negative trends.
This is why ClimateVoice created the Advocating for Climate Policy in the Workplace course with Terra.do. We’ll be digging into the pivotal role of employees in advocating for strong climate policies within their companies and teaching strategies to leverage influence and advance climate action in the workplace. The course underscores the importance of strong climate policy advocacy at work, regardless of your role. You’ll learn about climate policy priorities in 2024, the role of trade association memberships in obstructing climate policy progress, and how employees and companies can wield their influence for positive change.