Action for the Climate Emergency (ACE)

ACE’s “Make Polluters Pay” campaign organizes youth protests that demand the U.S. Department of Justice and state attorneys general to pursue litigation against conventional energy companies as it argues that conventional energy use results in what it describes as “climate damage.” The campaign advocates for restricting and prohibiting conventional energy projects overall. ³

Background

Action for the Climate Emergency is a left-of-center organization that was founded in 2008 to advocate on environmental issues. It recruits younger people to engage in environmental activism by promoting the idea that there is an existential threat to Earth caused by climate change. ⁴

ACE claims to have a network of over 500,000 activists that regularly participate in its campaigns. It also works with social media influencers to post content in support of environmentalism and its campaigns. ¹

Campaigns

Action for the Climate Emergency has a campaign titled “Make Polluters Pay” that organizes youth protests to demand that the U.S. Department of Justice and state attorneys general investigate conventional energy companies for causing so-called “climate damages” and impose fines on the companies for the alleged damages. ³ In February 2024, ACE organized a youth protest at the office of Wisconsin Attorney General Josh Kaul (D), calling on him to sue conventional energy producers for damages allegedly caused by climate change. ⁵

ACE has a Fossil Fuel Social License campaign that is critical of nonprofit advocacy campaigns that it claims targets young people to spread “disinformation” about conventional energy. To address this belief, the Fossil Fuel Social License campaign promotes the idea that conventional energy companies cause pollution that has caused so-called “climate damages” and that they should be prohibited from starting new projects. ³

In 2024, in anticipation of the general election, ACE reported on its website that it held a voter mobilization campaign targeting young voters, as ACE claims they are more likely to vote in favor of environmentalist policies and environmentalist-friendly candidates. It operated campaigns in partnership with colleges as well as digital campaigns to register young voters and promote voting for candidates who support environmentalist policies. ²

Activities

In February 2025, U.S. Representative Jerry Nadler (D-NY) announced that he would be reintroducing the Polluters Pay Climate Fund Act and listed Action for the Climate Emergency as amongst the endorsers of the bill. The bill would require conventional energy companies to pay into a $1 trillion “Polluters Pay Climate Fund” based on the amount of oil they produce, arguing that the carbon emission they are responsible for causes environmental damage and claiming that the fund would address the alleged issue. ⁶

Climate Emergency Advocates

In 2021, Action for the Climate Emergency founded a sister lobbying and electoral advocacy organization Climate Emergency Advocates, which conducts campaigns to recruit young people to engage in environmental activism. ^{2 7} In April 2024, it co-signed a letter that condemned Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and Donald Trump for failing to promote policies that would sanction conventional energy companies and companies that invest in them. ⁸

Leadership

Leah Qusba is the executive director for Action for the Climate Emergency, which she began in July 2024 after having worked in various roles for ACE since 2009. Prior to joining ACE, Qusba worked for Global Impact as a Midwest representative for development. ⁹

Financials

In 2023, Action for the Climate Emergency reported $8.2 million in total revenue, consisting of $7.8 million in contributions and $364,757 in management fees received. ^{10 11} It also reported $10.1 million in total expenses, including $263,521 in grants. In 2023, it made a $236,000 grant to its sister organization Climate Emergency Advocates and reported that it paid an additional $364,757 as “Performance of services or membership or fundraising solicitations for related organization,” according to ACE’s tax returns. ^{12 13 14}