US activists urge Democrats to stop ‘climate hushing’ and put crisis back on agenda
Activists are campaigning during the congressional recess to push Democrats to speak openly about climate change, citing surveys and research showing voters are concerned and that climate messaging can help candidates.
This summer, torrential rains washed away Texas neighborhoods, dangerous heat blanketed large parts of the US, and smoke from Canadian wildfires reached Florida. Research shows global warming is making extreme weather more frequent and severe, yet the climate crisis has largely vanished from the political agenda. Many Democrats who once called it an existential threat now avoid the topic.
The Climate Action Campaign coalition has launched a pushback against this "climate hushing." With lawmakers back in their home states or districts during the recess, events are taking place in at least 20 states over the next month. Participants include local Sierra Club chapters, the senior-led group Third Act, and NAACP affiliates. Actions began Thursday. "The message is, talk about climate, climate can't wait, and we want to see action," said campaign director Margie Alt.
In Michigan, demonstrators are targeting Republican Representative Bill Huizenga, who voted for Trump's "big beautiful bill" boosting fossil fuels. In Arizona, young activists will meet Democratic Representative Adelita Shirley Grijalva, a climate champion, and encourage her to keep talking about global warming. Elsewhere, organizers are circulating petitions calling on House Democratic leader Hakeem Jeffries and Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer to prioritize climate issues.
New polling undercuts the rationale for "climate hushing." A July study by the University of California, Santa Barbara found that emphasizing climate change was neutral or beneficial for Democratic candidates. A Data for Progress poll found 61% of likely voters believe extreme weather has become more frequent over the past five years, including nearly half of Republicans. A Yale survey found roughly two-thirds of Americans are worried about global warming.
"It's perhaps no other question where the gulf between Maga and the general public is higher," said activist Bill McKibben, urging politicians to embrace the issue. Alt called climate hushing "the climate denial of 2026," arguing that ignoring the crisis means "dropping the ball on the biggest threat the US and the world faces."
