How Youth Commissions Can Lead the Fight Against Climate Change

Arnav Dharshan

When I was a kid, my biggest obsession was nature and animals. I used to love spending time outdoors with my family, chasing after animals, and going camping. But the more I look around me and the more I observe, the clearer it becomes that the environment we know and love is going away, and it’s going away fast. It is up to us, the next generation, to protect the environment that we will inherit.

However, this doesn’t seem to be happening. The KFF/Washington Post climate change survey shows that less than half of teens have taken action to combat climate change and protect the environment. This doesn’t mean that teens don’t want to protect nature. In fact, the data shows the exact opposite. The 2021 4-H Teen Environmental Impact Survey of 1,500 teens showed that 84% of them deeply care about the environment. These teens want to help; they just don’t know how. That’s where Youth Commissions come in. By hosting events like neighborhood cleanups or community tree planting days, Youth Commissions can give teens opportunities to help the environment.

Another way Youth Commissions and teens can help the environment is by lobbying for bills. For example, California Senate Bill 285 establishes standards for carbon dioxide removal (CDR) projects to make sure that only credible and durable methods are used to offset greenhouse gas emissions. It restricts the use of biomass feedstocks to sustainable sources like agricultural or forestry residues and prohibits CDR from being used for enhanced oil recovery. The bill requires that captured carbon be stored long-term, with monitoring and replacement obligations to guarantee permanence. Additionally, it mandates transparent reporting so that emissions and offsets are clearly accounted for, preventing misleading net-zero claims. SB 285 would have profound impacts on our climate, helping California ultimately reach its goal of net-zero carbon emissions.

By working together, Youth Commissions and teens can save our environment. Now that you know some ways you can help, why are you sitting here reading this blog? Get out there and help protect our beautiful nature and wildlife from climate change!

Image credit: 21K School