June 24--A handful of Kane County volunteers recently traveled to Washington, D.C., to lobby for legislation that places a fee on carbon, and returns the revenue back to households. Perfect timing, the group's leader said, because the trip comes fresh off the heels of Pope Francis' plea for action on climate change.
The four volunteers from the Fox Valley chapter of Citizens' Climate Lobby represent just a fraction of Chicagoans -- both Catholic and non-Catholic -- who are hopeful that the Pope's pledge June 18 to address climate change and environmental threats will spur a larger, global movement to protect the planet.
"Of course, there are people, certainly more conservative people, who are saying 'The Pope's not a scientist, he needs to stick to religion,'" said Deni Mathews, a Bartlett resident and group leader for the Fox Valley chapter. "But I think many people of all religious faiths will hear this. I'm really hopeful even the most conservative of Catholics and other faiths will at least give it a second thought."
Francis' first solo papal encyclical, a letter expounding on Catholic teachings, marks the first time the leader of the world's Roman Catholics has addressed the environment. The letter isn't just a manifesto for clergy and bishops to use as a teaching tool, but doubles as a call to action with scientific rational, written in plain language and addressed to "every person living on this planet."
Many have read the 192-page document as a plea tying into the broader theme of Francis' papacy: looking out for humanity's poorest and most vulnerable.
"This is a watershed moment for the church, for humanity and for the planet, which Pope Francis calls our home," said Chicago Archbishop Blase Cupich on June 18. "We may not know all that science has to learn about climate change. But we do know enough to realize that it's time to act."
In D.C. this week, the Fox Valley Citizens' Climate Lobby members are visiting the offices of Sens. Mark Kirk (R-IL) and Richard Durbin (D-IL), as well as U.S. Reps. Peter Roskam (R-IL), Bill Foster (D-IL) and Randy Hultgren (R-IL), after spending Sunday and Monday at the sixth international CCL conference.
Their message for politicians is a simple, three-step rule, Mathews says. First, place a steadily rising fee on carbon. Then, give the revenue back to consumers, protecting families from the economic impact of rising energy costs. And then watch the risk of climate change shrink with the reduced carbon footprint.
Politicians have so far responded well, Mathews said. The volunteers met with Roskam's tax aide Tuesday morning.
"He was quite pleased with the general approach our organization is taking," she said. "In terms of simplicity, but also in terms of the potential appeals to more conservative lawmakers, since it's revenue-neutral. It's a win on so many sides."
A study performed by Regional Economic Models Inc., a Massachusetts-based company that tests the economic effects of government policies, found the lobby's proposal could add about 2.8 million jobs over 20 years while slicing carbon emissions in half, according to organization documents.
Francis is scheduled to visit the U.S. in September, where he'll address a joint session of Congress and also speak at the UN General Assembly in New York. Mathews says his encyclical's release just months before the visit is a good sign.
"About one-third of Congress is Catholic," she said. "We are very pleased with the timing."
meltagouri@tribune.com
