The Southeast Connecticut Youth Climate Summit was recently held with the goal of beginning a discussion on climate change impacts in Connecticut and what can be done about it to mitigate impacts in the future.
Zoe Wu and Cornelia Hatfield are seniors at Marine Science Magnet High School in Groton and recently hosted a large event called the Southeast Connecticut Youth Climate Summit. It was a gathering of about 200 local high school students, from eight schools, along with local environmental organizations and state leaders. The goal was to begin (and continue) the discussion on climate change impacts across Connecticut and what can be done about it, to mitigate impacts in the future.
“For me, it was really important to put on this event because I think education about environmental issues is what’s fundamental to getting youth in the future involved in environmental advocacy,” explains Hatfield.
This younger generation is passionate about doing the right thing for planet Earth. They are also motivated, because they see the projections of climate change in their lifetime.
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“We are the generation that’s going to be living through all of the actions that we take now," said Wu. "So all of the fossil fuels that we are releasing, and everything else, the older generations might not live to the complete effects of that, but we certainly are.”
What was once a small gathering in one school, the climate summit has grown quickly.
“I hope that this event can result in youth feeling that they are heard, and they can go contact all these organizations to put in some action and to know that no matter how old you are, you can make a change,” Wu said.
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The climate summit was hosted by the Eastern Pequot Tribal Nation near Foxwoods. Brenda Geer, a Tribal Vice-Chairwoman, and Jelani Fietcher, a Tribal Councilor, were so excited to host this group of young activists that share a common desire to care for our planet.
“We all share the human experience," Fietcher said. "We all share the land and the water and the air together. Being stewards together of this land, we all have that same role as stewards of all the land and shared space together.”
The year 2075 might sound far away, but these high school seniors will be at the age of retirement. If greenhouse gas emissions continue at current rates, the result would be substantial challenges to human populations, including rising sea levels, more intense heat waves, water scarcity, and other effects.
“These issues are going to affect their lives but also the lives of people in the future, and we owe it to each other to be stewards of the Earth,” Hatfield said.
Here are links to the organizations at the climate summit:
The Alliance for the Mystic River Watershed
The Eastern Pequot Tribal Nation
People's Action for Clean Energy
