All posts in Climate Change

TRUST Oregon features Kelsey Cascadia Rose Juliana, a 16-year-old from Eugene, who is passionate about preserving this beautiful Earth. Kelsey’s identity is directly tied to the various elements of Oregon’s biodiversity. She was born in a 1-room cabin in Fall Creek amidst the old-growth trees of the Cascades. She was named after Kelsey Creek – a crystal-clear river that flows out of an ancient forest grove, and Rose signifies the wild rose that grew abundantly near the cabin where she was born.
Kelsey knows that she is not old enough to vote, but she has also learned that she can raise her voice by speaking out. Although it shouldn’t be the responsibility of her generation to take on the burden of learning how to adapt in the face of global climate change, Kelsey knows that Mother Earth does not have the time to wait for politicians to debate about whether climate change will affect our future.

Ashley Funk is an 18-year old from western Pennsylvania. Ashley is many things. She is an identical twin, the founder of Pollution Patrol, a volunteer at the local care home, and she loves to sing with her friends around campfires. Ashley is asking our leaders to recognize that environmental destruction is the destruction of human health and in turn, realize that we have the potential for change. Ashley has done extensive research in preparation for a career as an environmental engineer and policy maker and she knows that we are not stuck in a society where we must rely on destructive fossil fuels to power our energy needs. We have the technology to move beyond this. Ashley is asking the government to come up with a climate recovery plan that does not destroy our single most essential resource…the atmosphere.

In this episode of the TRUST series, meet Xiuhtezcatl Martinez, an 11-year-old boy from Boulder, Colorado. Xiuhtezcatl shares why he joined youth from across the country asking the courts to hear their lawsuit (Alec L., et al., v. Lisa P. Jackson, et al.), which is based on one of the most fundamental principles of civilized society: TRUST. Xiuhtezcatl asks that our atmosphere be protected, because he loves playing in Colorado’s mountains, forests, lakes, and streams and fears that the resources he most enjoys will not be there for his generation if we continue emitting carbon dioxide at current rates. Xiuhtezcatl shares, “The proof of climate change is everywhere I look. In my lifetime, the amount of forest killed by pine beetles has expanded. The number of acres burned has intensified. My generation is losing our forests. We are losing our homes. It’s not too late to ensure my generation has a livable future. But we need to listen to the science and act now.” Over a century ago, the U.S. Supreme Court recognized that our federal government has an absolute legal duty to protect our essential common natural resources – such as our air and our water – for present and future generations. Our youth are simply asking our third branch of government to compel the legislative and executive branches to do their jobs. For more information about the lawsuits and other TRUST youth, please visit: www.ourchildrenstrust.org and www.witness.org

In this episode of the TRUST Series, meet Jaime Lynn Butler, an 11-year-old Navajo artist, who recognizes the extreme difficulty this administration faces dealing with the current political climate crisis. On January 24, 2012, during the State of the Union address, President Obama recognized that, “The differences in this chamber may be too deep right now to pass a comprehensive plan to fight climate change.” However, Jaime also recognizes the guaranteed consequences of climate change if America fails to do more than what is politically feasible. According to leading climate scientists, the Earth is in “imminent peril.” Should we fail to make a massive assault on CO2 pollution, the entire life-support system of our civilization and our species will begin to unravel. Because Jaime knows that human-induced climate change is a matter of carbon math, not carbon politics, Jaime is not only writing to President Obama and asking for assistance, she is also sharing her story with others so that we can visualize the urgent and unstoppable nature of human-induced climate change.