The Editorial Board

USA TODAY

Say what you will about the National Rifle Association's take-no-prisoners approach to gun control, it has been ruthlessly successful. Despite a spate of mass shootings, the gun lobby has blocked any major federal restrictions on firearms since the now-lapsed assault weapons ban in 1994.

Now it's time for climate activists, businesses harmed by global warming, and everyone else who cares about the fate of the Earth and future generations to take a page from the NRA playbook.

A climate superlobby is exactly what's needed to convince a still-doubtful segment of the public, mobilize voters, strong-arm recalcitrant lawmakers — and, perhaps most important, raise the money necessary to make all of this happen.

True, if this were easy, it would have happened already. It's a heavy lift to hammer out cooperation among the nation's Balkanized environmental groups and regulation-averse corporate interests. But what's happening now isn't working. And time is running out.

ANOTHER VIEW:Climate groups face major obstacles

An assessment by 13 federal agencies released on Black Friday described a climate already altered with more powerful storms, disrupted fisheries and 9 inches of higher sea levels along the U.S. coastline. It predicted severe economic damage by the end of the century, a scientific assessment that President Donald Trump promptly said he doesn't believe.

All the grassroots elements used by the NRA to frustrate gun control could also be employed to frustrate global warming:

►Money. The NRA and its nonprofit lobbying arms raise and spend millions of dollars to lobby Congress and run issue-based campaign ads. Industries hurt by climate change — including insurance and re-insurance, health care, agriculture, recreation and real estate — have combined values in the trillions of dollars. They stand to lose tens of billions if even moderate climate change occurs.

Moreover, growing numbers of climate-concerned megadonors such as Bill Gates, Michael Bloomberg and Tom Steyer are willing to invest in the cause. If they all join forces, they could generate more than enough to offset money contributed by oil and coal companies to block restrictions or new taxes on fossil fuels.

►Manpower. The NRA claims 5 million members who can sway elections despite a minority view: Two out of three Americans favor tougher gun control laws, but the anti-control voters are far more passionate. A climate superlobby could draw on tens of millions. Millennials are particularly fervent about the issue. And climate change directly impacts other issues voters care about: health care, with increased diseases, and immigration, with vast movements of people seeking relief from drought and food shortages.

►Mobilization. The NRA relies on devoted members not only to vote but also to draft letters, talk to friends, and donate money to the organization's political action committee. A climate superlobby could pool membership contacts and start doing the same. Imagine an ActBlue app pushed out to those members, triggering a donation alert every time a global warming-fueled disaster struck. The technology has raised more than $3 billion for Democrats since its inception in 2004.

The reality is that when the NRA speaks, Washington listens. There's no reason the save-the-planet movement can't carry that kind of clout.

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