Creating a “Leave-Behind” for Legislators

The guide outlines the essential components of a legislative leave-behind, emphasizing the need for a one-page document written in simple language that includes a clear recommendation, a description of the problem, supporting analysis, and a trackable 'ask'. It includes a practical example focused on urging the US Congress to meet international climate finance commitments, specifically referencing President Biden's pledge of $11.4 billion annually by 2024 and the loss and damage fund established at COP27.

• An effective legislative leave-behind should be a concise one-page document (front and back) written in simple language to accommodate busy legislative staff who may have limited knowledge of the scientist's field.
• The guide recommends that leave-behinds include four core elements: a one-sentence policy recommendation, a description of the problem's scale and local impacts, evidence-based analysis, and a specific, clear, and trackable 'ask' for the legislator.
• Using a climate finance example, the document argues that the United States is responsible for nearly 25% of cumulative heat-trapping emissions, while low-income nations like Pakistan, Somalia, Peru, and Vanuatu suffer the most severe disasters.
• The provided example calls on Congress to fulfill President Biden's 2021 promise of $11.4 billion per year in climate finance by 2024 and to operationalize the loss and damage fund established at COP27 for vulnerable nations.

APA

Union of Concerned Scientists (2023). Creating a “Leave-Behind” for Legislators. https://ucs-documents.s3.amazonaws.com/science-and-democracy/Congressional-leave-behinds-v4.pdf

Chicago

Union of Concerned Scientists. Creating a “Leave-Behind” for Legislators. 2023. https://ucs-documents.s3.amazonaws.com/science-and-democracy/Congressional-leave-behinds-v4.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=Union of Concerned Scientists |title=Creating a “Leave-Behind” for Legislators |date=March 2023 |url=https://ucs-documents.s3.amazonaws.com/science-and-democracy/Congressional-leave-behinds-v4.pdf |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{unionofconcernedscientists2023creating, author = {{Union of Concerned Scientists}}, title = {{Creating a “Leave-Behind” for Legislators}}, institution = {Union of Concerned Scientists}, year = {2023}, month = mar, url = {https://ucs-documents.s3.amazonaws.com/science-and-democracy/Congressional-leave-behinds-v4.pdf}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }