Joan Esposito is joined by Emma Fisher, deputy director and chief operating officer at Climate Cabinet.

Fisher discussed the organization's mission to support under-the-radar climate champions and help them win elected office in order to enact policies that tackle climate change.

"And the reason is because state and local offices hold the power to decide most of our important climate policies," Fisher told WCPT. "For example, state governments regulate the electric grid and fund transportation, and they have policy levers that control up to 75 percent of our emissions in the U.S. But usually we think about the federal government when we think about making big policy change to tackle climate change. So we're really focused on these under-the-radar places that are really making the key decisions that have unfortunately been dominated by fossil fuel lobbyists for too long. So we're working to level the playing field and get great climate champions in office and then help them pass policies that cut pollution and increase affordability."

Fisher highlighted a successful campaign in Naperville, Illinois, where they helped elect a "climate majority" to city council.

Catch "Joan Esposito: Live, Local and Progressive" weekdays from 2:00 to 5:00 p.m. Central on WCPT (heartlandsignal.com/programs/live-local-progressive).

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