Youth Think Climate Magazine Edition #2: Climate Justice

YOUTH THINK CLIMATE ISSUE 2 | FEBRUARY 2021

In this issue: INTERVIEWS: KATHERINE QUAID & DANA KELLEY

Read their takes on climate justice and advice for young leaders.

ACE FELLOWSHIP FEATURES Read about their 2020 election impacts.

THEME: CLIMATE JUSTICE "Those who are most affected and have the fewest resources to adapt to climate change are also the least responsible for the greenhouse gas emissions —both globally and within the United States.” -University of Colorado-Boulder

YOUR SUBMISSIONS Narratives, essays, poems, song lyrics, artwork, and photography on climate justice.

Cover artwork by Erin Zipman Violation (pg 30)

A MESSAGE FROM THE EDITORS Dear Readers, Even through the hardships and inconveniences of the COVID-19 pandemic, young people are determined to continue the fight for climate justice. Thank you for giving us the opportunity to share your voices.

COVID-19 has illustrated so many inequalities in our society and has exacerbated the inequalities we see stemming from the climate crisis. We also felt that it was important to include submissions related to racial justice. With this Climate Justice edition, we hope to shed light on different perspectives of the climate crisis. As you read and see what these young people have to share, we hope you are able to better understand how climate change is not a narrow issue.

Again, we would like to express our gratitude towards our supporters, readers, and contributors. This publication wouldn't have been possible without you.

Sincerely,

The Youth Think Climate Team youth think climate est. 2020

01| YTC

TABLE OF CONTENTS

01

EDITORS' MESSAGE

03

MEET THE TEAM

05

INTERVIEWS Katherine Quaid from WECAN and Dana Kelley from North Side Rising give their take on climate justice and advice for young leaders.

09

ACE FELLOWS ANSWER I fight for climate justice because...

10

YOUR SUBMISSIONS Narratives, essays, poems, song lyrics, artwork, and photography on climate justice, racial justice, the pandemic, and the environment.

32

FELLOWSHIP IMPACT on the 2020 Election.

33

YOUTH TALK CLIMATE Check out this new podcast!

34

ACTIONS AND RESOURCES

02| YTC

MEET THE TEAM

The Youth Think Climate magazine was born out of a partnership between six Fellows from Alliance for Climate Education Fellowships in Orlando, Florida and Madison, Wisconsin. They wanted to create a platform for youth interested in the climate movement to share their stories.

The team has expanded substantially since the first edition.

JULIAN

is 15 years old and lives in Madison, Wisconsin. He is fond of playing viola, reading novels, and autumn weather.

IAN

is an ACE Fellow from Central Florida. He enjoys to play the violin in his free time.

ARDRA

LIANE

is an ACE Fellow from Madison, WI. She enjoys volunteering, helping her community, and fighting for climate justice.

is an ACE Fellow from Central Florida. She loves to travel and will always appreciate a good (or bad) dad joke.

OWEN

BENJA

is an ACE Fellow from Madison, WI. He plays soccer year round, enjoys the outdoors, and hangs out with friends.

He also enjoys being a member of High Schools against Cancer Club.

is an ACE Fellow from Madison, WI. He enjoys writing, drawing, and cycling.

He is also enjoys volunteering for BCCN and Make a Wish.

03| YTC

ABBY is a climate justice organizer based in Madison. WI. She has a deep passion for art activism and couldn’t be more proud of the YTC team for their many accomplishments!

MARCO

KIMBERLEY

is a Youth Organizer in Milwaukee, WI where he works to support youth to become agents and leaders of change in the fight for climate justice.

Marco is new to the YTC team but is excited to help grow the YTC audience. In his free time you can catch him playing soccer or rock climbing.

is a 16-year-old French-American writer nd teen activist who has spent her years living in Paris, London, Dallas, and Miami. Living in Florida, she enjoys reading classics, writing short stories and poetry, and listening to music.

NOEMY

JULIANA

ZAARA

LISSIE

is 16 years old and lives Madison, WI. She enjoys going for long walks and identifying native species.

is 13 years old and lives in Florida. She loves meeting new people, and helping out in her community. She hopes to pursue a career in journalism.

is 15 years old and lives in Los Angeles, CA. She loves watching sunsets and will dance to any Fleetwood Mac song.

is a 17 year old Boricua from New Jersey. Her birth name, Lisandra, means 'defender of mankind' and she embodies that definition greatly.

MARISSA

EMILY

LAUREN

NAMA

is a 14 year old from Callisburg, TX. She loves swimming and animals and hopes to pursue a career in marine biology.

is a 17 year old from South Florida. She enjoys watching sci-fi films and reading just about anything!

loves meeting new people and discussing environmental issues through Madison’s Youth Climate Action Team (YCAT) and La Follette High School’s Green Club.

loves advocating for current problems, as she participates in her school’s Debate and Mock Trial club, along with being an active participant in her school’s student council.

04| YTC

AN INTERVIEW WITH

KATHERINE QUAID Katherine Quaid is Nez Perce, Paiute, Cayuse, a citizen of the Confederate Tribes of Umatilla and born and raised in rural central Oregon, in the Warm Springs community. Her dedication to climate justice is tied to the lands of her ancestors and the many communities nationally and around the world that are fighting for a healthy future. She is passionate about sharing her voice for climate justice, and collaborating with frontline women across Turtle Island (USA) and globally in resistance movements and climate solutions as the Communications and Outreach Coordinator for the Women’s Earth and Climate Action Network (WECAN). She has experience organizing for social justice in communities in Oregon and Vermont, where she learned the importance of community care, and bringing love and joy into the larger movement. Katherine attended school at Lewis & Clark College in Portland, Oregon and has a degree in Sociology and Anthropology with a focus on Indigenous movements and education. In her free time, Katherine spends time with the Earth, beading with her family, and learning new languages. She also sits on the board of The Field Academy, a summer school dedicated to accessible and socially just experiential learning.

ABOUT WECAN The Women's Earth and Climate Action Network (WECAN) is a solutions-based organization engaging women and femmes worldwide in policy advocacy, on-the-ground projects, direct action, trainings, and movement building for global climate justice. Our strategic focus is strengthening the capacity and leadership of women and feminists as an essential ingredient to solving critical issues of climate change from an intersectional lens, while also collectively transforming and healing our relationship with each other and Nature.

CONTINUED ON NEXT PAGE

05| YTC

KATHERINE QUAID INTERVIEW CONT.

1

What does climate justice mean to you? / Why do you fight for climate justice?

I fight for my communities, my loved ones, and for the land of my ancestors, and all animal and plant beings. I fight for climate justice because we must address the root causes of our climate crisis — Colonization, White Supremacy, Capitalism, Patriarchy — if we genuinely want to build the world we seek, one built on love, care, and deep reciprocity with each other and Mother Earth. There are so many ways in which the climate crisis and fossil fuel extraction worsens existing inequities and oppression. In this way, justice and liberation are non-negotiable. For me, fighting for climate justice means we must center, uplift and fight for Indigenous sovereignty, Black liberation, Immigrant rights, economic justice, women’s rights, LGBTQ+ rights, and support frontline communities who are experiencing the brunt of climate chaos and systemic violence.

2

In what ways are you/your organization addressing climate justice?

As a communications person I’m really passionate about addressing the climate crisis through storytelling. As part of my work with WECAN I have the opportunity to share and amplify the stories of women and femme leaders worldwide who are building community-led climate solutions, leading frontline resistance, advocating for gender-responsive and just climate policies at the local, national, and international level; and so much more. I am able to use my skills and passions to amplify their leadership, solutions, and voices in the climate justice narrative. It is an honor to capture the power of the women’s climate justice movement through articles, photos, and video. Storytelling is a powerful way to capture people’s hearts and minds by ensuring the inclusion of voices that have historically been excluded from the climate and environmental movements.

3

What advice would you offer to a young climate justice advocate/leader?

A few lessons I’ve learned so far that I can offer to younger climate justice leaders are to take care of yourself, create boundaries, and bring joy. This work is hard, it’s sad, it’s frustrating, griefridden, and it can be isolating. I’ve been able to find balance and stability to do this work for the long haul through community care, acts of resilience, joyful moments with colleagues and loved ones, and setting strong boundaries so I don’t burn out. Burn out is real and I hope as a young leader you can find what works for you and do what feels good and brings you joy in the long run.

06| YTC

AN INTERVIEW WITH

DANA KELLEY Dana Kelley is an Assistant Pastor of The Reviving Faith Movement Church, Co-op Organizer of North Side Rising, a mother of two sons, and grandmother to one grandson.

She graduated from North Division H.S. (1993) and received her Associates in Biblical Studies at Midwest Bible College (2018).

She loves to sing, teach, bake, write and taught herself how to play the guitar. She also enjoys learning different languages and cultures-- she studied Spanish and Japanese in high school, and knows a little French, Shona a (Zimbabwe dialect) and Lingala, an African language of (Congo).

Listen to her poem "Deadly PMs" here.

ABOUT NORTH SIDE RISING North Side Rising is a Co-op Organization of Citizen Action of WI where we aim to Educate, Relate and Activate the Community of Color in Climate and Economic Equity. North Side Rising has built a strong member base in less than a year that has made progressive moves toward social, economic and climate justice. We were integral in demanding that WE Energies and the PSC ‘Keep the Lights On’ in WI during the Pandemic with an Utilities Moratorium Extension through April 15, 2021.

North Side Rising has also made headlines by helping to demand the retirement of the coal plants that WE Energies keep operating in Oak Creek, WI that wastes upwards of $75 million dollars a year. WE Energies has agreed to close four plants over the next four years and transition to renewable energy sources within that time.

CONTINUED ON NEXT PAGE

07| YTC

DANA KELLEY INTERVIEW CONT.

1

What does climate justice mean to you? / Why do you fight for climate justice?

2

Where have you faced climate injustice? How have you responded?

3 4

Climate justice to me is being able to breathe clean air, drink clean water and plant in good soil for healthy food and a healthy environment. I fight for climate justice because it is our duty as mankind to take care of the earth. It is our responsibility to repair the earth from the damage we have caused.

We have a duty to one another and to future generations to provide a green environment.

Living in Urban America, I have experienced fog/smog from factories and homes that burns fossil fuels and natural gases. People with respiratory illnesses like asthma are most affected due to allergens and pollutants in the air. I have asthma and had to wear masks in the cold Chicago winters to protect myself. As an Organizer of North Side Rising, along with other Climate Justice Organizations like The Sierra Club and Clean Power Coalition, we were successful in demanding WE Energies retire the Oak Creek Coal Plant in Oct. 2020. Over the next 4 years, four plants will be retired and renewable energy sources will be developed in Southeastern WI.

In what ways are you/your organization addressing climate justice?

North Side Rising is working closely with the City/County Climate and Economic Equity Task Force to bring the Green New Deal to Milwaukee. This will both combat climate change and economic inequality in the Community of Color-prioritizing employment opportunities to people of color and other marginalized communities.

What have you found to be the best approach when educating people about the climate justice movement?

I have held Town Hall meetings and One on One conversations to speak to the need for change from fossil fuel to renewable energy. A lot of times, people of color are unaware of how much climate inequity affects their health and their wealth. I like to bring awareness that will cause action.

5

Why do you think it is important for young people to take action against climate injustices?

I believe that it is important for young people to take action because the sooner you begin to make a change the sooner you will make a difference.

6

What advice would you offer to a young climate justice advocate/leader?

7

What are some steps someone could take to combat climate injustices?

Continue to do the good you know to do. People are watching you and will follow your lead.

They may not say it publicly but you will see the fruit of the seeds you plant.

For clean water, install water filtration systems on sink faucets and shower heads; Weatherize your windows and doors to lower energy costs and decrease inhalation of particulate matter. Don’t wear shoes in the house because lead from soil can be transferred into homes. Use raised-bed gardens to grow healthy, organic foods.

08| YTC

I FIGHT FOR CLIMATE JUSTICE BECAUSE... those who contribute least to the climate crisis should not be the ones experiencing the worst impacts. -Ember Penney, 17, NC

those suffering the most from climate change are often denied a voice and political representation. -Leandro de Armas, 18, FL

I want future generations to have the same resources and opportunities that I have. -Anonymous, 17, NC

it is the fight for our future. A more equitable and sustainable future for us all. -Zella Milfred, 17, WI

it's the right thing to do. -Zach Garcia, 18, PA

of our ancestors and the future generations. -Selene Santiago-Lopez, 18, NC

it is a critical issue that will have lasting impacts if we don't fight. Anonymous, 17, FL

I want to protect my home, family, and friends. -Allison Fleming, 17, FL

I want a better future for myself and my sister.

-Sarah Johnson, 17, FL

I am concerned about the future of myself and others. -Lina Ross, 16, OH

there is no planet B! -Anonymous, 17, FL

it’s the only home we have. -Jeon Lee, 17, PA

despite how inexperienced and naive youth is considered, we're more powerful and powerful together than we may know. Our voice is worth more than we think and our Earth is our future. -Jennifer Cantero, 17, FL climate is our future and we need to protect our future. -Ellie Jensen, 17, NC

I want to preserve the Earth for future generations. -Evie Fitzpatrick, 15, NC

I want others around me to live a long, healthy life. -Simara Vines, 16, OH

it's the right thing to do, and climate change endangers my future. Hana K., 16, FL

I would like to world to be safe and around for the future generations.

-Anonymous, 16, WI

I don’t want to suffer because of mistakes made by past generations.

-Issac Smith, 18, NC

I care about my future. Kyra Zamborsky, 17, PA

I want to protect our planet!

-Madison Perinovic, 17, FL

my future matters.

-Emmy Montgomery, 16, FL

I want to ensure that my future is safe. -Amanda Wu, 17, NC

I want generations to come to enjoy this beautiful Earth. Catherine Oxendine, 16, NC

it's our future, and we deserve a good one.

-Arielle Barber, 16, WI 09| YTC

YOUR SUBMISSIONS YOUR VOICES

We the people - We the voices of the silenced youth - demand change.

Our voices will be raised, and we as a whole will dismantle the inequities that plague our reality. Screaming at the top of our lungs, we will take to the streets, educate our people, and demand what we deserve because the power of our movement weighs heavy in our heart. A single heart unifying us all - powered by our thirst for justice which will never stop beating. We the people demand to have our voices heard. Read our thoughts on the current climate emergency and keep them in mind as you listen to our pounding heartbeat.

10| YTC

FIGHT NOW! OUR LIVES DEPEND ON OUR ACTIONS RIGHT NOW!

BY JORDANA ROCKLEY | ACE ACTION FELLOW | CO-DIRECTOR OF FRIDAYS FOR FUTURE BROWARD Climate justice starts with recognizing that marginalized communities have been disproportionately affected by pollution and do not have the resources to protect themselves. Reduction in fossil fuel emissions

will not only help the Earth recover, but it will help those of us who inhabit the Earth by giving our health and futures a chance at recovery. According to the World Health Organization, climatic changes already are estimated to cause over 150,000 deaths annually [1]. It is unacceptable to allow for a process that damages all aspects of our life to continue unchecked. I believe that the right to a safe future is guaranteed in our Constitution; by not acting on climate injustices now, we are damaging the prospects of animal and human life in the future.

In my experience I have found that starting the conversation about climate injustice helps reveal the flaws in the argument of climate deniers. I have created a series of climate seminars at my public high school where many of my peers were newly informed about what they could do to mitigate the effects of climate change from living sustainably to voting with a climate conscious mindset. In further stretching the importance of voting, I urge you to participate in all future local, state and Federal elections as young peoples' voices and votes are important in every election. We, the citizens, have

the power to steer the US in the direction it needs to be in order to avoid a global environmental crisis from worsening to a point of no return.

Sources: 1) Climate Change. 7 Dec. 2010, www.who.int/heli/risks/climate/climatechange/en/.

2) Strauss, Ben. “Surging Seas Sea Level Rise Analysis by Climate Central.”

I live in South Florida where we are expected to see a 4 foot sea level rise by 2050 [2]. This statistic alone is bone chilling because access to resources will be difficult to maintain, and citizens will be displaced from their flooded homes. The issue of insecurity for coastal city inhabitants’ futures extends to a national concern, because extreme weather conditions, intensified natural disasters, smog, health effects, and security are all connected to global warming. The time for climate action is now! A proactive approach will save millions of lives and dollars in comparison to a reactive one.

Florida and the Rising Sea | Surging Seas: Sea Level Rise Analysis by Climate Central, sealevel.climatecentral.org/news/floria-and-the-risingsea.

11| YTC

A JOURNEY OF ACTIVISM: WITNESSING CLIMATE INJUSTICE IN INDONESIA AND DISTRIBUTING PRIVILEGE

BY ZEFANIA PRAVENTIA SUTRISNO | INDONESIA | 19 | INSTAGRAM: @ZEFANIAPRAVENTIAS I am born and raised in Indonesia, a developing country with dynamic politics and rich natural resources. Indonesia is an archipelago with more than seventeen thousand islands. Our culture is rich and diverse. Our land is blessed with an abundance of resources and beautiful creatures.

Unfortunately, we are also the world’s fourth largest greenhouse gas emitter. We burn coal so much in the name of electricity distribution. We have a wide gap of life quality in urban and rural areas. I am a witness of climate injustice. Here is my story.

I have been aware of climate change since I was 14 years old from an extracurricular organization focusing on environmental research in my school. I grew fond of the topic by directly witnessing climate injustice.

My teacher brought me to villages in deep mountains of Indonesia, a place untouched for an urban kid who spends all her life in a big city like me.

The experience is forever embedded in my head ever since. I conversed face to face with local natives who shared stories about the hardships they go through due to climate change: water shortage, dry crops, economic difficulties, social conflicts, and many more. 13 years old me was

shocked. Never once did I have to think about not having enough water to shower or even drink, while these people suffer so much from time to time. From then on, I advocate for climate crisis causes by changing my lifestyle and trying to educate as much people as possible.

Being the introvert that I am, I get cautious and doubtful of sharing climate change and injustice stories in public. I enjoy private debates and discussion, but I feel differently when it comes to sharing in front of bigger audiences, especially when the topic is climate change. It is hard to admit, but I fear encountering climate deniers and failing to educate or change their view. I fear getting ridiculed by climate deniers.

It is easier to advocate on a personal one-onone level for me. This weakness of mine chained me down from doing more impactful activism.

All of that suddenly changed. Due to a role I am assigned to in my current organization, I am ‘forced’ to step out of my comfort zone. I was appointed to become a project manager of a student conference in Southeast Asia.

The moment I got the chance, I knew for sure I wanted to bring the topic of climate change and injustice to a bigger audience since I have the platform. This role pushed me forward and within to bring up the topic openly. I spoke a lot. I conversed with amazing climate activists and experts by making webinars and educational posts. I started to forget my fear of climate deniers.

One moment that touched me the most is when suddenly some people reached out to me.

They told me how my activism gets through them.

Many got curious and aware of the topic. I feel an immense and pure joy knowing that. Once again, I am reminded of those local natives I met when I was 14. I am reminded of my purpose: it is for them. I am doing activism and trying to make a change for those people less fortunate than me. I am distributing and acknowledging my privilege for them. One climate denier will not stop me, because through activism I can grow 1000 others to become aware of the matter.

12| YTC

RBG & THE FIGHT FOR CLIMATE JUSTICE IN THE JUDICIARY

BY ALLISON FLEMING | FLORIDA | 17 | INSTAGRAM: @ALLISON.FLEMING

Sadly, Ruth Bader Ginsburg, a Supreme Court associate justice of twenty-seven years, died September 18th, 2020 at 87 years old.

Although Ginsburg, colloquially known as RBG or the “Notorious RBG”, was most well-known for being a trailblazer in gender equality as both a lawyer and judge, she also was a staunch defendant of climate justice while on the bench. As the world mourns the loss of a beloved leader, it is important to reflect on all the strides Ginsburg made in environmental law as a judge.

Most notably, Ginsburg wrote the majority opinion in the court case Friends of the Earth, Inc. v. Laidlaw Environmental Services, Inc. (2000). In this case, the defendants, Laidlaw Environmental Services, were sued for violating the Clean Water Act when their factory exceeded mercury discharge limits by polluting South Carolina’s North Tyger River. However, the defendants began complying with their permit after litigation had begun. The court ruled that the case should not be considered moot despite the defendant’s eventual compliance with their permit because the defendants did not provide enough support to prove they would not repeat the offense in the future. In the majority opinion, Ginsburg noted that “the effects of those discharges directly affected those affiants' recreational, aesthetic, and economic interests.” This case set a precedent that loosened the burden on the plaintiff to claim harm in environmental law. Now, instead of having to prove harm to the environment in order to compose a substantial case, the plaintiff only needs to prove that personal harm can be expected due to the defendant breaking environmental statutes.

Ginsburg’s support for the environment was evident as well in decisions to come after Friends of the Earth, Inc. v. Laidlaw Environmental Services, Inc. as well. In 2007, Ginsburg joined with the majority of the court in a ruling that forced the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to regulate carbon dioxide and greenhouse gas emissions as pollutants under the Clear Air Act in Massachusetts vs. Environmental Protection Agency. Ginsburg has even defied her colleagues and the majority of the Court on occasion in the pursuit of environmental justice. In 2015, a landmark Supreme Court case, Michigan vs. Environmental Protection Agency, ruled that the EPA must consider cost when setting and enforcing regulations. Ginsburg aligned herself with the dissenting members of the bench, joining Justices Kagan’s dissent that stated that costs should be analyzed only after the EPA deems a regulation “appropriate and necessary.” This dissent was based on the fact that the wellbeing of people and their health were also important factors in costbenefit analysis of EPA regulations.

To this day, environmental cases are still making their way through the legal system. Recently, youth have started to take advantage of the judiciary in order to get justice on their own terms. Twenty-one youth plaintiffs are actively suing the United States government in Juliana vs.

United States, arguing that the federal government has violated the constitutional rights of the plaintiffs by continuing to pollute the environment and endanger their future. In regard to this case, in 2016, Judge Aiken of the United States District Court for the District of Oregon stated that “a climate system capable of sustaining human life” was in fact a fundamental right, one of the boldest statements made about climate justice in the judiciary branch. Although this case is still navigating its way through the courts, it could not have come as far as it has without past rulings that were made possible because of Ginsburg’s environmental advocacy. The precedents that Ginsburg helped install into the law will continue to combat climate change well beyond her life and positively influence the generations of Americans to come. May she rest in peace knowing that the world is a little cleaner and healthier because of her fair temperament and passion for justice.

13| YTC

HURRICANES REVEAL SOCIAL INJUSTICES

BY LALO DE ARMAS | FLORIDA | ACE ACTION FELLOW

As America’s coastal cities brace for a potentially unprecedented hurricane season, the residents of New Orleans still suffer the effects of a storm that landed 15 years ago.

This event is no outlier. It is but one of many examples where climate changerelated events have resulted in the unjust suffering of BIPOC communities. In my own city, the residents of Little Haiti, a

Hurricane Katrina tore through New Orleans on August 29, 2005. Up to $125 billion worth of damages ensued as entire communities were uprooted and forced to evacuate or risk perishing.

This historic event isn’t just a tale of broad social and economic hardship it’s a case study on climate change’s heightening of America’s racist tendencies.

For those who sought to physically reestablish themselves once Katrina had passed, the City of New Orleans proposed a relief budget. This budget, however, wasn’t based on individual rebuilding costs but rather on the appraised value of homes. By using this measure, white communities received far greater financial sums than did their typically less affluent black counterparts.

primarily black and hispanic area, are being forced out of their homes as developers acquire their high-elevation land. These individuals are leaving their

culture, family, and memories behind for no reason other than that the land they’ve inhabited all their lives is suddenly desirable.

Climate justice is social justice. As

activists, it is our obligation to make these stories heard and highlight the social inequity climate change already poses on the daily lives of far too many black, indigenous, and people of color, some of whom live and suffer in our own backyards.

Sources: https://talkpoverty.org/2016/08/29/white-neworleans-recovered-hurricane-katrina-blacknew-orleans-not/

This systemically racist relief program contributed to the fall of the median black household income from $35,000 in 2000 to $30,000 in 2013. In this same timespan, the median white household income increased by 40%. This figure tells a much larger story. Median household income is closely related to educational and economic opportunities as well as employment levels, and a significant drop in its value could signal a decline in these areas too.

14| YTC

NARRATIVE

BY KAYE BURFOOT | CALIFORNIA | 20 Hey Dad. It’s been a while. I’m sorry, but we are on fire again. If you were here, you’d probably tell us to evacuate, but it’s become an expectation now. Something to be prepared for, and no reason for a pass. People are trying to say, “The love in the air is thicker than the smoke.” But I don’t see any love. The fear is the only thing thicker than the smoke--heavy, noxious, suffocating fear. My friends, the others marching beside me, have their backs straight and signs held high. The ones waiting in evacuation centers, living on the kindness of strangers, knowing there’s not enough to go around. We are not hopeless. We hope because we have no other choice. We say “the love in the air is thicker than the smoke”, and desperately fan the flickering spark of hope through the endless heavy cloud of fear. The only chance of refuge is when people say, “the youth are the ones who are solving the problems we’ve made.

We have to follow their lead.” I want to scream. I want to tell them no, please no. I don’t want to be on the front lines. I don’t want to be a martyr, fodder for the fire. I want to follow, I want you to take the lead, because the truth is, I don’t know what the hell I’m doing. But they won’t. So we fight, we march, we scream and yell, and we stretch our hope to its breaking point. What else can we do? Give up? I see the others smile, when they hear the news that a pipeline has been blocked in court, while all around us oil is pumped, trains and buses are shut down, cars clog expressways and sputter our fear into the sky. We create the hope that dies every day, because hopelessness is not an option. We do it so convincingly that sometimes I believe I’m the only one who is sh*tting-my-pants terrified. Down to my bones, every day, I’m terrified. And I still fight. And when the hope runs out, I will fight without hope. I will wield my anger and my fear, and I will fight without hope for those who can’t. I will fight for the ones who have no voice, and I will fight for the ones who called me stupid, and I will fight for those who ignore the battle. But it’s alright, because I’ll see you soon. Once these twelve years pass, that will be as old as I’m going to get.

15| YTC

NARRATIVE

BY SOPHIA GONZALEZ | TEXAS | 17 Dear Mom, I wonder if you still remember. If you still remember the first time you held me in your arms, made the world look so beautiful; sugar coated it enough for me to grow up believing that beneath my feet there wasn’t already a fire growing, consuming the life I was promised and taken away long before I was forced out of your womb. I wonder if you still remember the way I wailed and reached helplessly for your already decaying body the day, the flames you so carefully wrapped away my whole life, took you away from me. You had directions but chose not to follow. Why did you not understand that your home was under attack?! The thick, unbreathable air comes far too quickly and you are not acting quickly enough; instead acting as if nothing was happening because you believed that someone else somewhere would save you and the rest of the world. But let me tell you something: your lack of ambition and naive intuition are the reason this infertile earth can no longer grow life, it is the reason the waters are rising far too quickly, the reason corporations were able to discard their poison like candy, the reason rainforests are decaying and cities are overcrowded, filled with people just like me who now are forced to live on a place that has become a sanctuary for disaster. But no, live is the wrong word. I believe I was born to die when I see the earth collapsing onto itself just outside my window, something you were very well aware of but still took no care or action to change. Why am I continuing my fight to live when I know all I will be able to do is survive?! The skies are falling, generations and generations of history with monumental significance crumbling at my feet, my home, OUR home, has been devastated into nothing more than dust. Thousands of species wiped out in floods and a thousand others with no place to go, Earth called out to you - why didn’t you listen?! My home is and has been under attack and there is nothing more we can do to fix our own mistakes. You placed a bandaid over a cut that was too deep, an unfixable abyss of detrimental devastation. The world is dying and there is nowhere else I can go to. I write these words to you with a heavy heart. I mourn for the world, for the end of it’s miraculous shelter and refuge. I mourn for the children that will die today and for the ones that will see tomorrow, and I will keep on wondering why you gave up your fight when you had a battle to win. The earth is dying and there is nothing left to do, and until you find the courage to be kind to the world, all I can do is wait to see climate change’s culmination.

Goodbye forever,

16| YTC

PLASTIC USE IN AMERICA

BY RYLIE WALLACE | NORTH CAROLINA | 15 | INSTAGRAM: @RYLIEEWALLACE_| TWITTER: @RYLIEEWALLACE About 5 trillion single-use plastic bags are being produced annually around the globe. Meaning that about 160,000 bags are produced every second.

Around the globe only 130 million babies are born annually, estimating 3-4 born every second. This means the rate of children being born a second is equal to about .0025% of the plastic bags that are produced every second. This is only plastic bags think about all of the other things people use daily or even long term, almost everything in one's life is revolved around plastic. But one thing many people don’t know is there are so many different health and environmental impacts that need to be thought about before we use and throw away this much plastic. To solve this problem plastic causes we must face it head-on and start cleaning up the mess plastic has caused us.

I decided to watch the “Bag It” to try and further my understanding of plastic use in America. Before watching the documentary I was semi-aware of how dangerous plastic is to our environment but I never knew the extent of it. I also didn’t take it seriously, I felt like one person couldn’t do that much damage and that isn’t the case. Plastic is a persistent oceanic pollutant, animals sop up toxic chemicals from the plastic that gets thrown into the ocean because it looks like the food they eat. For example, lots of turtles eat jellyfish and from under the water, you could easily mistake a plastic bag for a jellyfish. If we end up eating these animals we end up with these toxic chemicals in us too. Over 260 different types of marine life are being impacted by plastic, and plastic is estimated to kill 100,000 marine animals a year. In some parts of the Ocean, there is over forty times more plastic than food. Obviously, there isn’t a real way to clean up the ocean but if we can’t start to live in harmony with our ecosystems were simply going to disappear.

How does this relate to climate justice?

The production, consumption, and disposal of plastic relates to environmental justice, as well as racial justice. The production of plastic includes extracting crude oil from the ground, through a process called fracking that contaminates drinking water supplies.

Furthermore, single-use plastic products are cheaper and more convenient than ecofriendly alternatives, they are used in high frequency in BIPOC and low-income communities. This puts people in those communities at a greater risk of consuming toxic chemicals in the plastic such as BPA. As we consume more and more plastic, there is increasing pressure to find ways to dispose of it. Most end up in landfills, recycling facilities, the environment, or incinerators, which are rapidly running out of space. Much of plastic waste exported from the US piles up near vulnerable communities in countries such as the Philippines and Vietnam, affecting the communities’ livelihood and health. A 2019 Global Alliance for Incinerator Alternatives reported that 79% of incinerators are located in BIPOC communities, who inhale toxic fumes produced by the burning of trash.

Sources: https://www.sierraclub.org/texas/houston/blog/2020/07/plastic-sinfluence-environmental-racism https://www.greenpeace.org/international/story/21792/plastic-wasteenvironmental-justice/

Click here to read the full submission 17| YTC

THE LIVESTOCK INDUSTRY AND ITS EFFECTS ON THE ENVIRONMENT

BY ELLIE JENSEN | NORTH CAROLINA | 17 | INSTAGRAM: @ELJENS_ Throughout high school, I studied animal science. I never knew the effects it had on the environment

until

I

watched

a

few

documentaries about it. Since watching those documentaries, I have changed my way of life to help save the environment. Now, I do not eat beef in an effort to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, deforestation, and water waste.

Livestock, a way of life for centuries, but what is it doing to our environment? Many people believe that the leading cause of climate change is pollution from factories and fossil fuels. Today, I will tell you about how that is not all true. I will walk you through the effects that livestock production has on the Earth's climate.

According to the Food and Agriculture Organization, 18% of greenhouse gas emissions are caused by livestock. Livestock production is the second-largest greenhouse gas emitter after the electricity industry. One of the most common greenhouse gases is methane.

Methane comes from animal manure and burps, specifically cattle. Cattle are primarily bad for their manure and burps because of the fact they have ruminant stomachs. Ruminant stomachs are stomachs that have multiple chambers containing microbes, which help them digest by fermenting their food.

Land used for the production of livestock takes up one-third of Earth's total space, and the production of livestock will continue to grow with the demand for food. The livestock industry is causing deforestation because they are also clearing forests to raise crops to feed the livestock.

While the livestock industry is destroying land, it is also affecting the water supply of many countries. Livestock waste can pollute waters around the area. Polluted waters due to livestock waste are specifically prominent in developing countries. The leading causes of water pollution from livestock are animal waste, antibiotics, and hormones used in the animals, fertilizer, and pesticides used in the animals' crops, along with runoff from the pastures. Not only is the water being polluted, but the livestock industry is also prone to wasting water. The amount of water used by the livestock industry is approximately 55% of all water usage.

The livestock industry has a direct impact on the environment and climate change. Livestock production creates greenhouse gas emissions, which is directly deteriorating the ozone layer.

The demand for production causes deforestation, and the deforestation will continue until there is no more land to deforest.

Finally, the livestock industry is prone to pollute and waste our water supply. Next time you drive past a farm or eat an animal product, think about what it is doing to our environment.

How does this relate to climate justice?

The operations of the industrial agriculture and intensive livestock industries are often conducted near communities where people of color and/or lower socioeconomic status live.

Since these industries produce hazardous waste, communities nearby experience threats of pest infestations, odor problems, and decreased air and water quality.

Sources: https://www.iatp.org/sites/default/files/Industrialization_of_Agriculture_and _Environme.htm https://foodfirst.org/publication/agriculture-the-next-battleground-forclimate-justice/

18| YTC

In the Flower Fields

BY FAITH SHIRLEY | OKLAHOMA | 19 | INSTAGRAM: @SWEATER_XL Bury me with the zinnias, horizontal along the seeples following the lines that trail my face.

As walls fall in with age, Each flower crumbles to its center settling into the ground laid with a powder graced on foliage fallen beneath the sun.

Lay me there.

Surrounded by a glass mosaic, created from pallid tones, stolen breaths stretch tangled in the soil, Six feet above me.

a gospel of earth and his omens

BY SANDRA PEDERSEN | WASHINGTON | 16 Surrender, You are frostbitten, with a beard of snow drift and soot Your eyes have gone like a candle burned out With tears like melting silver, Your skin is filmy, white as bones bleached on asphalt And skin that sags like it is too dog-tired to stick to your bones The lifelines scored into the grooves, the valleys of your hands, Unfold a faultline, Of suns that rise and kiss the dawn Of deafening divinity and wet rot Of curly locks that run loose and fluid Like a rivulet along the dunes Beware, The juveniles with hungry eyes Who wear triumph like perfume, They are dogmatic, teeth and ambition bared They are dawn-soaked and adamant and ice Devouring, they are wanting and solemn wine.

As they gore your head open like splitting fruit The sting is like taking communion And the wound is wide, it is bare your heart thrums onto the floor Soaked and sinewy You are on your hands and knees, rosary linked between your fingers Woodsmoke brown and slicked blood against white You exist in a velvet of darkness, that you wear like amour And sit, in your burning house fire Home feels strange, The word catches in your throat, Melting like molasses, it tastes like vinegar, And siphons down your throat like sediment in a canyon Maybe you are doomed, maybe it is almost beautiful

19| YTC

The Great Humans

BY BHAAVYA SINGH | INDIA | 14 | INSTAGRAM: @SAKURA_EYAGI Welcome to the planet earth, Home to the great 'homo sapiens' Let me introduce you to their greatness, As nowhere else, it can be seen.

To attack on, They never look out for someone else; actually, they love to destroy themselves.

They build a bright future With their own hardworking hands; But don't leave it, with a base to stand. They spend lavishly To create beauty around; While real beauty is turned Into dumping ground.

Ah, it’s so funny, The extent to which man is wrong; In front of nature, He finds himself more strong.

And what lazy creatures humans are, To find comfort they can go so far; For that they can destroy all other things, The future, the earth and even themselves, The so-called great human beings.

MURAL FROM DOWNTOWN MADISON, WI (PHOTO BY SEEGER GRAY) 20| YTC

Our Planet

BY JULIANA VERZI | FLORIDA | 13 | INSTAGRAM: @JULIANAVBELLA our planet is dying but what they are doing we fight day and night trying to fix what they’ve done but they just won’t learn that they must stop because its hurting us too they need to be held responsible for what they have done because their actions are hurting us too not only that but we must give back to the earth they’ve hurt put back the trees and become more green take back the trash and learn how to reuse it stop the burning of fossil fuels and fix the ozone we need to be loud it needs to be known because if we don’t our planet will die and we will too

Untitled

BY ABHINAV RAO TALLURI | TEXAS | 17 | INSTAGRAM: @ABHINAVRAO_TALLURI | TWITTER: @TALLURI_ABHINAV Open your eyes.

Yes you, open your eyes.

Open your eyes and see the world for its beauty.

See the world for the trees and the grass that is green.

See the world for the earth, the sky, the sea.

See the world for all the creatures hidden in the deep.

Now see the world for its pain; Its hidden gore, bloodstains, and mental strains.

See the black fog and the acid rains, The extinction of the living and all the heat waves.

Life is not just about comfort and riches for personal gain, But also the well being of all the living during human reign.

Our life is short yet our opportunities are limitless.

The world suffers for your actions, don’t forget it.

Continue your struggle for wealth and happiness, But let the world live, don’t kill it.

PHOTOGRAPHY BY RHIANNA OSBORNE | OHIO | 23 | INSTAGRAM: @RHIANNAPHOTOGRAPHY97

21| YTC

Remember where you come from

BY JAVY POLANCO | NEW YORK

Not the city full of dreams Or the country full of corn, But the soil of the earth The forest of wild and the water of a lost sea In Bolivia, lake Poopó is gone; evaporated Skeletons of fish left People forced to relocate I wonder what other lakes we’ve lost; What other lakes we're losing What other air we can't breathe fresh What other forests we can’t explore What other people must suffer from it So many decades of global prosperity And barely a couple of centuries and it got lost In factories and ignorance Who is responsible, Us as a species Or us as a global society What is our responsibility not only as citizens But as animals of nature What is our purpose to earth now that we know we're hurting her What is our purpose in helping her heal?

22| YTC

Mother

I a Child

BY RIA BORLAND | KENTUCKY | 16

BY OLLIE FROST | FLORIDA | 17 | INSTAGRAM: @0LLIERUUUTH

I want to see my earth The world in its entirety She could end suddenly But she is perhaps more likely To end with a soft cry A final plea of mercy

I, a child, spring forth from my mama’s Tree branches, born into a new clown

And who said it would be still Chaos comes in many forms Even the ocean is vast and consuming In it’s calm.

Try and deny her But in truth, mother is unforgiving And never forgets We children all burn with her In the hands of ignorance I want to see my earth Every piece Every corner So that if nothing really changes Maybe I can grieve Like a child

But it is a dawn with no sun Noxious noisy swirls in the skies above; Great noisy cogs that are drenched in oil sit below Great noisy cogs that take Root in my mama’s hair Like ravenous lice ripping away at her once lamed scalp Great noisy cogs turn my Mama’s skin, once soft And dewy, rubbery and Scared: Burnt and broken I yell to my friends in the Oceans, in the trees, even to those who are trapped with in the cogs I yell “our mama is dying”

MURAL FROM DOWNTOWN MADISON, WI (PHOTO BY SEEGER GRAY) 23| YTC

Settin' the World on Fire

BY KATRINA HODOROWSKI | INDIANA | 17 | [Verse 1] On fire, on fire When you’re just a kid, you think life is easy.

But then a few years blow by and you’re feeling queasy.

And people are just trying to deceive you.

But they're lying when they say they just don’t believe you.

[Pre-Chorus] But there’s a moment whenyou realize.

That you can do anything you try.

So just hold on and close your eyes.

[Chorus] Oh! We were never too far.

So just grab my hand and listen to your heart.

Oh! If you just take action and start to count the stars.

You’ll hear the voice that’s always near.

Yeah! Never living in fear.

Just listen to me when I sing.

Hey! We’re gonna make them speak.

Speak like we’re settin’ the world on fire.

On fire, on fire.

[Verse 2] You might laugh and cry here and there.

But that don’t mean no one cares.

C’mon and stand up for everything.

Everything we believe in.

Even if you’re deceiving people.

By telling them you never really meant well.

[Pre-Chorus] But there’s a moment when you realize.

That you can do anything you try.

So just hold on and close your eyes.

[Chorus] Oh! We were never too far.

So just grab my hand and listen to your heart.

Oh! If you just take action and start to count the stars.

You’ll hear the voice that’s always near.

Yeah! Never living in fear.

Just listen to me when I sing.

Hey! We’re gonna make them speak.

Speak like we’re settin’ the world on fire.

On fire, on fire.

[Bridge] I ain’t gonna stop, ‘til the worlds on fire.

No, I ain’t gonna, I ain’t gonna stop.

I ain’t gonna stop.

I ain’t gonna stop, ‘til the worlds on fire.

No, I ain’t gonna, I ain’t gonna stop.

I ain’t gonna stop.

We ain’t gonna stop, ‘til the worlds on fire.

No, we ain’t gonna, we ain’t gonna stop.

We ain’t gonna stop.

We ain’t gonna stop, ‘til the worlds on fire.

No, we ain’t gonna, we ain’t gonna stop.

We ain’t gonna stop.

[Chorus] Oh! Woah! Oh! Oh! Oh! We were never too far.

So just grab my hand and listen to your heart.

Oh! If you just take action and start to count the stars.

You’ll hear the voice that’s always near.

Yeah! Never living in fear.

Just listen to me when I sing.

Hey! We’re gonna make them speak.

Speak like we’re settin’ the world on fire.

On fire, on fire.

[Outro] Hey! C’mon set the world on fire!

We gotta set the world on fire!

Hey! C’mon set the world on fire!

We gotta set the world on fire!

Hey! C’mon set the world on fire!

We gotta set the world on fire!

Hey! C’mon set the world on fire!

We gotta set the world on fire!

We’re just settin’ the world on fire!

24| YTC

Confused

BY TAYLOR JEFFERSON | OHIO | 17 | INSTAGRAM: @TAYDABADEST Everyday I ask myself do I have a voice Can I speak my mind without being judged Can I go outside and go places Without worrying am I going to make it home Will I see my family again I am a 17 year old girl of color I should not be scared for my friends wondering if I will see them again The world is now that nightmare I can’t awake from I am confused it seems like just because of my color I am less of a person We are treated like animals Killed just because the color of our skin It’s like no one cares about our families at home innocent people dying each day due police brutality I thought police were supposed to protect not kill us If I’m Unarmed I still might get killed for walking If I’m armed I will get killed for being armed and existing Do I even have a say so Do I have a voice We are humans we have lives that deserve living We have families to care for

MURAL FROM DOWNTOWN MADISON, WI (PHOTO BY SEEGER GRAY)

25| YTC

Apocalypse in Demand

BY SAGE CROSBY | ARIZONA | 19 | INSTAGRAM: @SAGECROSBY These are the lyrics to a song I wrote about political, social, cultural, and climate unrest. I wrote it last year after hearing about riots from people around the world and the second verse after watching Greta Thunberg’s speech at the UN climate summit. The third verse is something I didn’t include in the recording of the song because it was very special and personal to me as a woman and just didn’t feel right to include it.

Bombs have been dropping; riots- can’t stop them Countries turn into chaos

This is a tribute to my unborn children: If the world wasn’t evil, I’d give birth in it.

The police and the press are just as bad as the best politicians who give them pay offs

This is a story for those that will listen: Don’t give in to all of the lies you are hit with.

The Internet comments, the size of their wallets Innocents fell for the game

This is a warning to all those who lead: If you don’t clean up your act, we’ll make you concede.

Photos we're liking, scroll past children dying Everyone's gone insane

This is a message for all those preceding: If you cared, then why are the children still screaming?

Is this how it all ends?

A disaster that came from our own hands— An apocalypse in demand

This will be how it ends, if we don’t make amends.

A disaster that came from our own hands— An apocalypse in demand.

Adults make fun of a teen with autism For wanting to save the world California dreaming? No, Cali is burning Leave your white flags unfurled They do nothing in office; school shootings are common It's too easy to buy a gun Mental health crisis, temperature rises Everyone is numb Is this how it all ends?

A disaster that came from our own hands— An apocalypse in demand

MURAL FROM DOWNTOWN MADISON, WI (PHOTO BY SEEGER GRAY)

26| YTC

Six Feet Apart

BY ALESSANDRA ROBERTS | FLORIDA | 14 | INSTAGRAM: @LYNNNATURAL A poem about the hidden environmental and social benefits of COVID-19 Six feet apart, they told me, before I set off on my dangerous journey.

Every footstep, soft and slow, my hands slightly weighted by the gloves they hold.

Every huff, every puff, hot breaths trapped within my mask.

Quietly, I raise the mask from my mouth, letting the cool air flow in and flow out.

There she stands—Yes it is she, the one that goes by the name, COVID-19.

Closer and closer to the pandemic on the hill...but not too close!

Remember, six feet apart.

“Why do you meet me?” Coronavirus asks.

“You have made it clear how much you despise me” “Did you come to mock my forthcoming defeat?”

“Or perhaps destroy me with a fresh vaccine?”

Her eyes widened in such surprise as I reply, “No. “I arrived to say thank you,” and I beam.

“Thank you for that time when I yearned for the sun in the hopes of seeing another someone.

As well as for my frantic search to find something that’ll wipe my bum.

Thank you for building the bars that kept me captive In my own home where I am not active Thank you for my reflection on that video call screen As well as for that moment where I wanted to scream.

Thank you for every time I’d reach into the fridge Thinking of how my waistline desperately needs a trim The salon is closed, whatever shall I do?

Maybe a snip with the kitchen scissors to fix my hairdo.

Thank you for my yells of aggravation As I just destroyed my hair’s reputation!

Thank you for the TAP TAP TAP of my fingers against the glass Dormant on my couch as time wouldn’t pass Six feet apart, is that too much to ask?

Click here to read the full submission 27| YTC

Our World is Changing

BY CHRYSTAL ODINAEVA | NEW YORK | 30 | INSTAGRAM: @BUTTERFLY32691 Our World is changing day by day. So many creatures fall victim to human touch. Wild creatures that roam the jungles and Greenlands soon will not be part of our changing world.

Our World is Changing Our world is changing day by day.

We the people can make the biggest difference in saving our wild creatures before they turn to only artifacts and part of the extinct species list. A list that growing and soon in a decade or two wild elephants and tigers will be but a story. A once upon a time, like dinosaurs.

Our World is Changing.

Our world is changing day by day, but don’t lett hat change the way we stand up and fight for every single life. We stand together and fight for what is right. Let the human touch save and not destroy creatures for their teeth or lands. Let’s protect wildlife and ecosystems around our World. Let Earth revive and help keep these beautiful creatures alive.

PHOTOGRAPHY BY JEFFERY DECRISTOFARO | NORTH CAROLINA | 35 | INSTAGRAM: @JEFFREY_DECRISTOFARO_OFFICIAL

28| YTC

Last Breath

BY CHRISTOPHER GAYNOR | FLORIDA | 28 I wasn’t allowed to grow out my hair; Required to be cleaned cut and proper.

To be as presentable as possible--, To pose as an upstanding, law abiding Citizen, belonging to civil society.

I wasn’t allowed outside after dark.

Night is when the thugs and the crazies, The stoners and the addicts, The criminals and degenerates, Patrol the streets seeking high crimes.

I, an upstanding citizen Was required to remain inside.

My words were chosen carefully, Or I didn’t speak at all.

Better not be seen nor heard; Hidden behind the veneer of obscurity.

Able to traverse proper society.

Able to remain safe, from assumption Stereotypes unbecoming of upstanding.

Even in the day with proper fade; I couldn’t change my complexion, I couldn’t change my features.

No matter how much I tried to pass, Eyes follow me through every obstacle.

Under Threat As someone apart of the BIPOC community, I've written this piece -along with Last Breath- in the wake of the events spurred by the culmination of unjust killings of BIPOC, the pandemic, and the general state of crisis we must collectively address Imagine this worldWhere trusting this fellow man is but a fringe; Hypervigilance brings full attention, To the apprehension, Which exists within the fray of society.

Everyone is a threat; Everyone is a risk; Everyone can cause you harm; Everyone can cause you ill.

Please, Imagine this world.

In present pandemic, This is a reality felt true.

Fear, anxiety, purpose shredded; A relentlessness such a world, For a perpetual black experience.

To look at your fellow man, Holding the potential notion,You are a risk to their existence.

The moment I changed direction, Where I began to ask questions, My upstanding pass taken.

Arms raised, breathe steadyThe law surely is mistaken.

I am, after all, a law abiding citizen.

MURAL FROM DOWNTOWN MADISON, WI (PHOTO

BY SEEGER GRAY) 29| YTC

Violation

BY ERIN ZIPMAN | NEW YORK | 18 | INSTAGRAM: @VIVA.LA.ERIN In this piece, I really wanted to express feelings of powerlessness in the face of the climate crisis. When I think about climate change, sometimes I get overwhelmed and feel as though I have no control. I just want everything to stop — stop the extraction, stop the injustice, stop the pollution and ravaging of those who hold the least political and economic power in our world.

Untitled

BY DEON F. | CANADA | 17 | INSTAGRAM: @DEONXYRIBOSE The artwork includes an excerpt from Carl Sagan's famous Pale Blue Dot speech given at Cornell University in 1994.

30| YTC

Untitled

BY JALIL SURGE | ALABAMA | 24

Untitled

BY ANIKA KUMAR | VIRGINIA | 17 | INSTAGRAM: @ANIKAXK Lots of nations face different types of issues and of course they are all important, but one issue that everyone is facing globally is climate change.

There needs to be more focus on climate change because we won’t have a planet anymore if we don’t start acting now to save our planet.

31| YTC

FELLOWSHIP IMPACT: 2020 ELECTION

With 2020 being an election year, ACE Action Fellows worked hard all fall to make sure that eligible voters’ voices were heard. As part of the ENOUGH! Campaign, Fellows sent thousands of postcards to unregistered voters, urging them to get registered and to vote with climate in mind. They also participated in phonebanking and textbanking, providing voter resources to thousands more people. Here are the numbers:

89,932 postcards sent

119,825 texts sent

1,658 OutreachCircle actions taken

59,442 youth climate voters registered in AZ, FL, MI, NC, OH, PA, WI

32| YTC

Introducing:

youth talk climate A new podcast led by ACE Fellows, exploring the interconnectedness of the climate crisis with other social issues.

Featuring interviews with important climate activists, Youth Talk Climate is a groundbreaking achievement in the fight for climate justice.

Episodes are available now!

33| YTC

ACTIONS AND RESOURCES YTC

JOIN >

READ >

JOIN THE ACE YOUTH ACTION NETWORK

CLIMATE JUSTICE BOOK SUGGESTIONS

oin our network of thousands of young people here. You'll receive local and national updates about climate change and opportunities to take action. You can also text "YTC" to 42108.

J

As Long As Grass Grows: the Indigenous fight for environmental justice throughout history Braiding Sweetgrass: sharing Indigenous wisdom and the teachings of plants

NEXT UP >

LOOK OUT FOR THE NEXT ISSUE f you want to submit something for future watch out for updates on our Instagram @youththinkclimate.

I

WATCH >

WATCH AND SHARE IMPACT STORIES

FOLLOW US ON @youththinkclimate @acespace

34| YTC

Thank you!

Thank you to everyone who submitted their work and for giving us the opportunity to share your voices. We would also like to express our gratitude towards our readers and supporters.

This publication wouldn't have been possible without you.

Sincerely, the Youth Think Climate Team

youth think climate est. 2020