Hopefully, you are sick of reading posts like these and have a plan to vote on Tuesday, November 6th for the Midterm elections.

However, if you are on the fence, are unsure, are planning on staying home, or don’t care, this is my plea for you to change your mind.

If you care about the environment (at all), the future, having a deadline of 12 years to avoid climate catastrophe, the #1 most important thing you can do is to vote.

Why am I linking the urgency of voting in the midterms to the alarming UN climate report? As  Jim Skea, a co-chair of the UN working group on mitigation said of the report,

 “We show it can be done within laws of physics and chemistry. Then the final tick box is political will. We cannot answer that. Only our audience can – and that is the governments that receive it.”

So let me recap that for you. The UN climate report committee of scientists has determined that we’re on the fast track to climate disaster. We’ll all be affected, whether it’s by flooding, hotter temperatures, wetter conditions, our food supply, and more. We know how to fix it. We have the tools.

But the ONE THING standing in the way is the political systems and people who need to make the decisions.

Here’s the secret: Politicians work for you (and lobbyists). In most cases, lobbyists give campaign dollars to get politicians elected, but politicians also care about your vote to STAY in office.

So when you don’t vote and send that email your senator to reconsider a decision? Or demand we get coal lobbyist out of the EPA? Politicians can see your voting record and prioritize people who vote over those who do not.

If you think politicians don’t’ care about your voter demographic, they will definitely not care if you sit at home.

In order for us to have any hope that real policy can change, we need to move to the polls on Tuesday, November 6th and vote.

Unsure of where candidates stand on the environment? The League of Conservation Voters has a comprehensive scorecard and assessment.

If you’re frustrated between the two choices, try to pick the one that’s closer to your views. Politicians aren’t perfect – but we have a new surge of women, LGBT, people of color and young running for office. And the more that are elected now, the more we can continue this trend in the future.

Still not convinced? Even if you hate every single politician on your ballot, there’s a “No Vote” button at the bottom. You can NOT vote and vote, (How’s that for a mind twist?) and STILL give your politicians a sign that you care about what’s happening.

Overall, you have zero excuses to stay home on Tuesday. And if all else fails, hopefully, those damn “I voted” stickers will push you over the edge.

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Julie Hancher is Editor-in-Chief of Green Philly, sharing her expertise of all things sustainable in the city of brotherly love. She enjoys long walks in the park with local beer and greening her travels, cooking & cat, Sir Floofus Drake. View all posts by Julie Hancher