This is not the end, it is only the beginning.
At the global climate strike on September 24, 2021, USL organized a school walkout. A total of 175 students and community members attended a student-led rally. USL led a second Fridays For Future walk-out on September 31st, 2022 with over 150 students and community members. The majority of the participants were students who joined these rallies which consisted of youth speakers. Now, USL is calling on Island County to declare a climate emergency.
As its name suggests, when a Climate Emergency Declaration is adopted, the governing body declares that humanity is currently faced with a climate emergency. It announces that climate change is a current threat to humanity that must be dealt with, immediately, and that measures taken up to this point are not enough to limit the changes brought by it. After a Climate Emergency is declared, a resolution and goals will be set, and followed through with, to mitigate climate change in a timely manner. For now, we have the first step done: the City of Langley has officially declared a climate emergency! We would now like Island County to do the same. However, without sustainable and immediate action to resolve climate change and create a more eco-friendly community, the declaring of a climate emergency won’t have much of an impact.
This declaration is an important next step for Island County for many reasons. First of all, Island County has been and will be directly impacted by the climate crisis. Unless immediate action is taken, we will continue to see and experience the effects of sea-level rise, ocean acidification, increasing greenhouse gas emissions, decreasing populations of salmon and other native species, and more.
Our work is far from over, but this would be a huge next step in the right direction. We look forward to collaborating with the county commissioners and staff to implement changes in our community that reflect the urgency and severity of the climate crisis.
Click here to learn more about our story and the climate crisis.
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1rr18PQ2oRDZo4CCrACE6briOvAkqJ8_nfKyWjUM7YCs/edit?usp=sharing Syd Carver and Torrey Green on behalf of the United Student Leaders
By submitting the form below, you will be calling on the Island County commissioners to work with student leaders to adopt a resolution declaring a climate emergency. We will keep you updated by adding you to the United Student Leader's email list.
