Climate Emergency Resolutions: Younger Generation Demands More from Adults
/by Corina Chang
I met for the first time with three high school students and one math professor in January 2021. They had started drafting a Climate Emergency Resolution they hoped West Hartford would pass, following numerous other towns. Over the next year, we met multiple times per week to draft our resolution, collect feedback, and gather endorsements.
In January 2022, the town council voted against our resolution. Instead of our three-page document detailing the threat climate change poses and specific actionable steps for the town to follow, the town passed a one-page “Resolution Declaring a Climate Crisis.” This resolution, employing vague phrases such as “as quickly as practicable,” lacked all the concrete steps we proposed, such as a climate change commission with voting youth representation, a greenhouse gas inventory, and 2050 climate action plan. Instead, it merely acknowledged that humans have exacerbated climate change, and that the issue requires immediate action.
The document demoted the urgency of climate change, declaring it a crisis rather than an emergency. The town attributed the drastic revisions they made to legal issues, declaring Corporation Counsel responsible for creating this version that suited West Hartford’s legal stipulations.
My team seriously debated the potential consequences of supporting this disappointing resolution. Would the town, true to their word, use this barebones resolution as a starting point, and strive to create actual change? Or would they feel accomplished, having passed a document with good intentions, and wash their hands of further responsibilities? We decided to accept their resolution, resolving to follow up with the town frequently and push for more decisive action.
“We decided to accept their resolution, resolving to follow up with the town frequently and push for more decisive action. Still, we felt immensely let down.”
Still, we felt immensely let down. My team had incorporated the town’s feedback on multiple rounds of drafts and proceeded through each committee as we were told. Yet, the town failed to disclose this critical last step, the revision from Corporation Counsel. Moreover, they disregarded the discussions we had about our resolution’s content and their earlier approval of everything in it. We felt the lack of transparency came from a lack of respect.
As a young person, I have a certain power. Adults, especially those in government, care about what the younger generation cares about. Unlike many adults, passion motivates us–not monetary gain. Civically active youth inspire elected officials because we bring a new perspective and energy to the table.
However, my youth is a double-edged sword. If my team was older, the town might have been more honest about the trajectory of our resolution. The town might have bothered to consider the legality of our demands with us, instead of behind closed doors.
“...my youth is a double-edged sword. If my team was older, the town might have been more honest about the trajectory of our resolution.”
To me, the age gap was most evident and impactful in the debate over the wording of “Emergency” versus “Crisis.” My team understood that the town hesitated to declare an emergency, which would allow special legal pathways for mitigation and immediate action. Clearly, the town council members didn’t understand that climate change merited that level of urgency. In the seemingly minute change of one word, the town shut their ears to what young people are saying: Climate change IS an emergency. We need climate action, and we need it NOW.
Everyone knows that younger generations will bear the weight of climate change, and this pressure has mobilized young people now more than ever to get involved in politics and activism. But if we are the ones forced to deal with the climate emergency at its worst, scared for our futures and those of our communities, we should be taken seriously. We deserve a seat at the table and genuine respect, instead of placations and mild one-page resolutions.
Though my team didn’t achieve the results we worked so hard for, I found the past year valuable. I am grateful to the West Hartford town council, mayor, and town manager for their willingness to sit down with a group of teenagers, and to our town for being open to change. Climate change worsens on an exponential scale for each day that we hesitate to make real change. Because of this, my teammates and I will continue to work towards our ambitious goals to create a safer and healthier community in West Hartford and wherever we find ourselves as we grow older.
Corina Chang is a sophomore studying biology and chemistry at the College of William and Mary. She is a member of Citizens’ Climate Lobby and a recipient of the 2021 Eco Advocacy Award given by Save the Sound. The West Hartford Climate Projects group also includes Arlo Tucker, Zoe Weissman, Evan Piccioli, Andrew Chang, Isidora Milward, and Hendree Milward. You can learn more about WHCP at www.whclimateprojects.org.
