How to vote for climate action

Why is voting one of the most powerful things you can do for the climate? Most people rank recycling as a climate action ahead of voting, but research has found that voting for a pro-climate candidate could matter far more than your personal emissions. In this episode, host Kim talks to Kate, a former construction sustainability manager turned Environmental Voting Project volunteer, about why so many climate-minded people don't vote consistently, and what to actually do about it. "I think people are really starting to attend to the problem, but everybody doesn't know what to do,” Kate said. They cover how to register and plan to vote, how to identify climate leaders on your ballot using tools like the Congressional Scorecard and OpenSecrets, and how Kate is helping expand the climate vote, one handwritten postcard at a time. Subscribe or follow wherever you get your podcasts to catch every episode. To find out more about voting for climate action, see SHIFT: https://jointheshift.earth/guide For more information and material from the episode, visit climateactually.com. Funding for Climate Actually comes from Formas, the Swedish Research Council for Sustainable Development, Communication Grant #2021-02906. Register & plan to vote Vote.gov — register to vote (US) US Vote Foundation — find upcoming election dates (US) Swedish voting guide Check candidates' climate records League of Conservation Voters Congressional Scorecard — US, searchable by zip code or representative name, filterable by climate issue Climate Action Network Europe — MEP scorecards, Europe Society for Nature Conservation election compass — Sweden No Fossil Fuel Money — check if a candidate has pledged not to take fossil fuel donations OpenSecrets — track fossil fuel industry funding by candidate (US) Get involved / help others vote Environmental Voter Project — turns non-voting environmentalists into consistent voters (US); Kate's organisation featured in this episode References cited in this episode "Most Americans are not consistent voters; these intermittent voters often determine the outcome of elections." Source: Pew Research Center A pro-climate vote in Canada in 2019 saved 162 times more climate pollution than a year of recycling, based on the policies enacted by the winning party and the number of voters who supported them. Equivalent to taking 14 typical petrol cars off the road for a year. Source: Wynes et al., 2019, study, via We Can Fix It When 965 North Americans were asked to name the most effective action they could take to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, fewer than 5% named a political action like voting. Twice as many named recycling. Source: Climatic Change study 89% of 130,000 people surveyed across 125 countries want to see more political climate action. Source: Our World in Data, citing Nature Climate Change study In Virginia: 67% are worried about global warming, 69% support transitioning the US economy to 100% clean energy by 2050, and 70% support requiring fossil fuel companies to pay a carbon tax. Source: Yale Climate Opinion Maps (Jennifer Marlon et al) Virginia voters will elect 1 US senator and 11 members of the US House of Representatives in 2026. Virginia's senators are Mark Warner and Tim Kaine, both Democrats; Warner is up for re-election in 2026. Source: Ballotpedia Virginia turnout was 70% in the 2024 presidential election but just 47.6% in the 2022 midterms. Turnout in 2020 (66%) and 2024 (64%) presidential elections was among the highest of the last century. The Environmental Voter Project targets these inactive midterm voters. Source: Virginia Department of Elections; Ballotpedia; Pew Research Center US states that elected politicians with good League of Conservation Voters scores significantly reduced their carbon emissions. Source: Under the Sky We Make, study, Table 2 The League of Conservation Voters Congressional Scorecard tracks how members of Congress vote on environmental, climate change and democracy legislation, and scores them on whether their votes protect people and the planet. Searchable by zip code, representative name, or filtered by climate issue. Source: LCV Congressional Scorecard (climate filter) In Europe, the Climate Action Network and national affiliates track climate voting records, for example the Society for Nature Conservation's election compass in Sweden. Source: Climate Action Network Europe A 2025 House vote (Roll Call 279) would have effectively let new fossil fuel power plants cut in line ahead of clean energy projects for grid connection. It passed the House 216 to 206 with no Senate action. The pro-environment vote was "no"; Virginia representative Don Beyer voted no. Source: LCV Roll Call Vote Don Beyer holds a lifetime LCV score of 97%. Source: LCV, Don Beyer