Our Biggest Year Ever: The Chair’s 2025 Report
In the six years since the founding of the DNC Environment and Climate Crisis Council, this newest Council has become a crucial entity in the Democratic Party. The Council has organized environmental voters, worked to elect Democratic climate champions, established and worked on building out a thriving network of local, state and national Democratic environmental groups — and much more.
Now, with so much at stake for our climate, environment and democracy, the Council is doubling down on our efforts. We win when we organize. We win when we campaign on issues that matter to Americans, including affordable energy, renewable energy, clean air and water, and climate. And we win when we stand up and fight against Trump’s dangerous policies. The Council's work is more important than ever. We are well positioned to carry out that work going forward.
2025 Highlights
Since our launch in 2020, the Council has held, co-hosted or spoken at over 300 outreach, organizing and listening events, including more than 95 events in 2025 alone:
Electing Democrats. The Council campaigned for climate candidates across the country, holding phone banks, launching canvasses and knocking doors in races ranging from a rural Ohio School Board election to the Georgia Public Service Commission.
Advocating for Our Environment & Climate. On Capitol Hill, rallying and supporting legislation for youth rights to a sustainable future. Online, launching petitions opposing polluter welfare and corporate greed — and growing our vibrant social media presence.
Mobilizing for Earth Month. Organized our fourth, biggest ever Annual Earth Month Mobilization, with 75+ Dem environmental events nationally.
Listening, Learning & Organizing on our Third National Listening Tour. On our ongoing Third National Listening Tour, we are partnering with national, state, local and youth Democratic groups and other allies on events in 14 states from New York to Louisiana, from Florida to Wisconsin. We also made visits to college campuses as part of our focus on mobilizing youth and next-generation voters, as well as on visits to rural areas, red states and red areas in blue states as part of our focus on the intersections of environment, climate, conservation and agriculture.
Building State & Local Caucuses. Continuing to build and support a network of state, national and local Democratic Environmental Caucuses to strengthen the connective tissue among state, national, territorial, and Dems Abroad Democratic environmental caucuses and councils, in order to engage and turn out the crucial environmental and youth vote.
Support and Publicize Democratic Environmental Events and Groups. See our event map here. Find the map of state Democratic climate organizations here.
Engage & Fight Disinformation via Issue and Information Campaigns. Involved in ongoing campaigns to establish a National Infrastructure Bank, end fossil fuel subsidies (Trump has added $18 BILLION+ annually in subsidies to the oil and gas industry), support federal workers, and hold oil and gas companies accountable for decades of lies and disinformation.
What Comes Next in 2026 & Beyond
We are going to fight with everything we have to ensure that Democrats win seats up and down the ballot, take back control of the Senate and House, and take back the White House. The environment is a winning issue for Democrats, and is especially important to demographics that could well be the difference. And the Council is well-positioned to engage, in collaboration with allies and partners inside and outside of the Party.
The Council's Officers, Executive Board and Advisory Team will be building on a strong organizational structure going forward as Democrats face the challenges of the elections of 2026 and 2028. The Council has established a vigorous and growing digital presence on Facebook, X (formerly Twitter), BlueSky, Instagram and LinkedIn, a highly visited, dynamic website, and an organizational structure that ensures diverse, inclusive and effective leadership structure, with Howard Chou (CO) as Vice Chair, David Green (WA) as Senior Advisor, Paul Presendieu (NY) as Youth Engagement Director, and more appointments soon.
Our Advisory Board expands the range of expertise available to the Council and includes additional youth leaders, as well as climate leaders from the health, business, science, mental health, faith and labor communities. We will soon be accepting applications for new members for the 2026-2028 term and are grateful to Michael White and Ron Meehan for agreeing to return!
Leadership and Support
I want to express my deep gratitude to the state party leaders who have coordinated with us and welcomed our work. And I want to thank our incredible leadership team. We are also grateful to DNC Chair Ken Martin, the entire DNC leadership, the DNC staff, and DNC members for support of the Council. And finally, heartfelt thanks to the activists, organizers, and leaders of the climate and environmental justice movement. We stand on your shoulders.
In service and solidarity,
Michelle Regalado Deatrick
Chair and Founder, DNC Environment and Climate Crisis Council
