Well, the short answer to both of those questions is “probably never!”

The longer answer is, elected officials will always be concerned with getting re-elected. That’s part of their job! That’s a reality we need to keep in mind. The only way to get around this problem and make sure our elected officials – republican and democrat alike – concentrate on solving the climate crisis is to make sure their jobs depend on it! That’s exactly the message folks like ClimateVoters.org is trying to send to Congress, and it’s a message the youth climate movement needs to be sending loud and clear as well: “we’re young, we vote, and we’re voting for climate solutions and for our future.”

As far as getting money out of politics goes, that’s a much harder challenge, but one that is well worth pursuing. Real campaign finance reform has been the holy grail of progressives for decades. Despite little positive progress over the years, the benefits of reforming the role of money in politics make it worth our continued pursuit, and this is something we should also keep in mind as we pursue our climate solutions campaigns. Solving the climate crisis will mean a drastic change from the status quo – the creation of a new energy future – and as with any change, vested interests have made plenty of money on the status quo and will defend it fiercely. The influence of money on politics therefore means our challenge is that much harder, as vested interests – big businesses, oil and coal interests, etc. – have a louder voice than ‘we the people’ when it comes to money and campaign contributions.

Good thing there’s plenty more of us than there are of them, and the answer to your first question may just hold the key to overcoming the barriers of the second. After all, there’s two kinds of political power: money and people. Let’s do our best to diminish the power of the former while bolstering our numbers and strengthening the power of the latter.

Amy–New Jersey has some of the best support for solar in the nation! however, putting up small solar panels on every street light and traffic light would be extremely expensive and require a lot of maintenance. it would be better and more efficient to use fewer and more efficient (LED) lights that are tied into a more localized grid that is powered by the sun and the wind.