PHOTO UPDATE: Climate Strike — Heeding the call of the young
By Stephanie Hiller | Special to The Sun
Youth often sees with a clear eye through the murky fog to which the older generation has become inured during years of adjustment to the frailty of the human condition. In our day, it was the mushroom cloud rising over the decimated city of Hiroshima that cast its shadow over our future, and now that we have survived that inconceivable fate, at least so far, we may tend to convince ourselves, confusing complacency with wisdom, that the comparable menace of climate change will also be averted, somehow. But the young are not so easily persuaded; and the evidence of eminent disaster is, alas, on their side.
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On Friday, young people around the world will be participating in a “Climate Strike” to raise their voices to enter their plea for a more desirable future. In Sonoma, students marched from the high school to the Plaza for the 1:30 p.m. rally.
The march has been organized by the Earth Club, a students’ organization on campus. Kelly O’Leary, 28, who teaches Chemistry and Advanced Placement Environmental Science is the adviser of the Earth Club.
Kelly writes, “I grew up in Montana, in open wild lands and very little development. It was there that I feel in love with nature and science! I came to California in 2009 to attend Humboldt State University where I majored in Zoology and minored in Religious Studies. My focus was the evolutionary origins of behavior, specifically in canines. After my undergraduate degree I worked as a dog trainer at the Sonoma Humane Society. I decided to become a teacher because I enjoyed tutoring in college and teaching training classes. I returned to HSU to get a credential in teaching Biology and Chemistry.
“In my senior year of high school (2009) I submitted a project to our local science fair that was titled: Does Global Warming Affect Aquatic Habitat. I created a model with live animals and found that it did! Ever since then I have been dedicated to preventing catastrophic climate change.
“This year, 2019, marks the 10 year anniversary of that project and our impact on the environment has only gotten worse. The release of the UN IPCC1.5 released in 2018 only further solidified the urgency of this crisis. I am 28 years old and am staring down the barrel of a dark future that is being created without my consent. I stand with my students because we are in the same boat.
“If we don’t reach net zero green house gas emissions by 2030 we will see an increase about 1.5 degrees Celsius and thus the extinction of coral reefs. This will likely lead to the extinction of 25 percent of life in the oceans, organisms that depend on coral reefs. It will also lead to the destruction of a food source for 500 million people around the world. And that is just ONE example of the effects of climate change. In fact, if we hit net zero GHG in 2030 we only have a 60 percent chance of avoiding the 1.5 degree C increase. This is not hyperbole, this is the reality determined by thousands of scientific studies conducted by hundreds of scientists from around the world.
The Strike is important “because the adults in power are not recognizing the severity of the situation. They are still arguing for step-by-step modification, but it is too late. If we had started incremental progress 20, 30, 40 years ago it would be easy. But, we didn’t so now we must mobilize in a way not seen since WWII. It is the only way for us to preserve a livable climate. The students want to participate because they are afraid, as am I, and we feel that we must do something to help.
“I want the students to learn that their voices are worth listening too. They aren’t too young. Their perspective and desires matter. We are using this action to encourage our City Council to pass the Climate Emergency Resolution that will be put before them in January. Many of the students that are involved in this action and myself have worked with the Climate Change Subcommittee to help draft the resolution.”
Twelve students are organizing the Strike. Their voices are loud and clear. Says Lilly, “I want to make an impact. I don’t want to wait for someone else to do it. I want to make a difference and show that someone from a small town and small school can accomplish something.”
Juliana G. has her finger on the button. She is participating because “the adults in control are not addressing it. It is like a side conversation.”
What do they hope to accomplish? Nima wants “to see the government actually passing laws and regulations to prevent this crisis.” She explains that she found out about climate change by doing her own research. Andrea says simply, “I want to actually have a future for us. Also for future generations and the other species on earth.”
On September 20, the date of the last climate strike, the students chose to host an educational event on campus instead of marching. Some 60 students attended. The school administration supported their choice as well as the decision to leave campus this time, with parental permission of course.
The march received support from the EarthCare Committee of the First Congregational Church, Sonoma, and the Sonoma Valley Climate Coalition. Members of the SVCC are helping to craft the city’s Climate Emergency Resolution. Matt Metzler, a member of the Coalition, is also on the Community Services and Environment Commission. “We think it’s important that students feel they’re being heard. Because they are the future. They are the ones who are going to be affected.” The CSEC will take up the proposed draft at its regular meeting December 11. “We need to pull the fire alarm, take action at all levels of government, get off fossil fuels right away.”
Personally, he is in favor of a carbon tax. “Things would start changing right away.” We have the technology,” he said. “We’re just not doing it.”
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Correction: The Earth Care Committee supporting the students is from the First Congregational Church Sonoma, United Church of Christ (not the Unitarian Church) and many other folks and organizations were represented including the Sonoma Valley Democrat’s and the Sierra Club.