Citizen's Climate Lobby head to Washington D.C. for conference - WQOW TV: Eau Claire, WI NEWS18 News, Weather, and Sports

Citizen's Climate Lobby head to Washington D.C. for conference


Eau Claire (WQOW)- A group of local citizens concerned about climate change are about to make the trek to the nation's capitol in hopes legislators will share their concerns.

A group from Eau Claire has been working with the national organization Citizens' Climate Lobby for about five years.  On Saturday six of the group's members will be traveling to Washington D.C. to push legislators to create climate policies.  Their idea is to tax fossil fuels that enter our economy, based on the amount of CO2 they emit.  Revenues from that tax would then get refunded back to the public.  The group said adding a tax is the best way to reduce the use of fossil fuels.

"If we can pass carbon-free and dividend legislation, that shifts the market, get's people's attention, and begins to slow the input of CO2 in to the atmosphere.  That, we hope, buys us some time to then take all those other courses of action that are going to be necessary to shift us in to a different and more positive future," said Kate Hale Wilson, Co-leader of Eau Claire's CCL.

"The countries that have emitted the most carbon dioxide and the most damaging green house gasses will suffer the least from the effects of climate change, and those that have had the least access to fossil fuels, the developing world, will suffer the most," said Co-leader Jim Boulter.

The group of six fro Eau Claire will be joining close to 1,000 others from across the country for the conference that start Sunday, but they said it's work they continue doing all year long.

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