“Climate Week at MSU” highlights worldwide concerns

On Nov. 18, the United Nations 29th Climate Change Conference (COP 29) entered its eighth day of conferences and deliberations. That same day, Campus Climate Coalition (CCC) — a student-run organization on campus — launched “Climate Week at MSU,” held from Nov. 18 through 21. 

CCC is a subsidiary organization of the national Citizens Climate Lobby (CCL). According to CCL’s website, the organization is “[a] nonprofit, nonpartisan, grassroots advocacy climate change organization focused on national policies to address the national and global climate crisis.” 

President Gracie Caldwell and Vice President Apollo Fischer of the CCC sat down with the Exponent to discuss the CCC, Climate Week and the solutions individuals and organizations can work towards implementing in response to climate change. 

Since most students are not in a position to affect change on the national or global scale, CCC's goal is to inspire students to take individual action. “The main goal of [CCC] isn't just making change, but making change in the hearts of the students on campus,” Caldwell said. “So it's not just climate change is happening, it's, what can I do to better my community? What can I do to be the change I want to see?” 

Climate Week will hold many events to help students answer those very questions. On Monday, Nov. 18 Susan Bilo, former candidate for the Montana Public Service Commission (PSC) discussed the role the PSC plays in environmental issues. On Wednesday, Nov. 20, David Carlson, the former director of the World Climate Research Programme, educated students about the government's role in addressing climate change.

“I think the biggest thing with Climate Week is that when you have kind of questions about how successful are climate solutions really going to be, instead of kind of tuning out and saying it's not even worth trying, to take the step and educate yourself,” said Fischer. 

On Thursday, Nov. 21, Cottonwood Environmental Law Firm will be in Romney Hall Room 007 to discuss how the judicial system can have an impact on climate change. “They do a lot of environmental justice work, clean water work and they are definitely in the fight for climate change,” Caldwell — who interns at the firm — said. “They were one of the main groups who helped get the [Bozeman] Plastics Ordinance passed.”

While MSU’s chapter of CCC is a grassroots effort focused on spreading awareness and mobilizing individuals, CCL is devoted to political action on a national level. “The big thing that [CCL] does is that we go every summer to [the District of Columbia] and we actually lobby our congressional representatives,” Caldwell said.

High on the list of CCL’s lobbying efforts is a carbon fee and dividend, otherwise known as a carbon tax.According toEarth.org,a carbon fee places a tax on emissions from the burning of fossil fuels, such as oil, coal and natural gas. The “dividend” portion of such a program would return a portion of the tax revenue to citizens as a method of offsetting rising energy costs due to the taxation, and assist in the transition to other sources of energy. 

“It would bring up the price of oil, yes, and help kind of drive innovation into more sustainable route for less carbon or sustainable electricity. But it would also help cover the costs, at least be a little bit of a buffer for people who at the time cannot afford to transition over or maybe when their rates go up a little bit,” Caldwell said, who described the tax as a “market-based solution.” 

Proponents of a carbon fee and dividend claim that by taxing carbon, fossil fuel emissions are disincentivized, while promoting innovation in alternative sources of energy. Revenue from the tax goes directly to the individuals bearing the burden of higher energy costs. Naysayers claim that such a method will cause affected companies to move offshore to countries without a restrictive carbon tax, which will result in no actual decrease in pollution. 

Fischer explained further why their club feels a need to begin a switch to alternatives to fossil fuels now. “Whether or not you believe in climate change and all of that, I think there is a limited amount of coal and and a limited amount of oil and so by making the transition now, we avoid having an energy crisis you know 150 years down the line,” he said.  

Caldwell and Fischer explained that an overwhelming sense of fear or anxiety around climate issues could be a sign of a broader feeling of political helplessness and apathy, which leads people to not engage in our political processes. “I think step number one is taking a step back and be like, okay, we can make a difference,” Fischer said. 

CCC will be hosting events all through Nov. 18 through 21 for Climate Week. Some of these events have already happened, but to see a list of future events and times, check out the MSU Calendar https://www.montana.edu/calendar/events/52337.