The youth have had enough. It’s time to declare a climate emergency in Sacramento County

When I was younger, I loved to read dystopian novels. I never imagined that I’d be living in one. But as my parents bickered furiously and told me to pack a bag, the scenario felt more like a science fiction story than reality.

Four miles away, 850 acres of grassland had been set ablaze and my family was preparing in case an evacuation order was issued. I looked around in shock as I stepped outside. Smoke choked the air and swallowed the sun while ash rained down from the sky like snow. My lungs burned when I took a breath and, due to my asthma, I had to wear a mask inside of my own home. Thankfully, the fire was quickly contained. However, my family was one of the lucky ones.

In late August, California burst into flames. Blazing simultaneously, hundreds of fires destroyed thousands of homes and took far too many lives. Our elected officials tweeted their condolences, exclaiming that they’d never seen anything like it. The only problem is that we have seen this before.

California’s fire season is becoming longer and longer, while fires become more deadly. Of California’s 20 largest fires, 15 have occurred in the last 20 years. This is no coincidence. These fires are merely a symptom of a much greater crisis — climate change.

I’ve always been passionate about the climate crisis. This is partly because I’m 14. As a young person, I’m acutely aware that the climate crisis threatens my future. But it’s also because as a lifelong Sacramento resident, I’ve grown up seeing the effects of the climate crisis.

Here in Sacramento County, we are well acquainted with climate change. Our summers are growing warmer, droughts are becoming more common and rising sea levels mean that those living along the Delta River face an increased flood risk. The county is aware of this, stating in its 2017 Climate Action Plan that, “Locally, climate change is already affecting and will continue to alter the physical environment throughout the Central Valley and Sacramento County.” This makes the county’s insufficient action on the climate crisis even more puzzling.

Local emissions have only increased since then, according to a 2018 Progress Report from the California Board of Air Resources. Both the City of Sacramento and the Sacramento Municipal Utility District have declared climate emergencies, yet the county refuses to do the same, choosing political convenience over an entire generation.

We cannot afford to go on like this. According to the United Nations, we have just over nine years to take action on the climate crisis before our planet becomes unrecognizable. Climate scientists have offered us a warning — the clock is ticking and we must act. We must reach carbon zero by 2030.

Over 1,700 governments in 30 countries have declared climate emergencies. These declarations lead to real results. The Sacramento Municipal Utilities District committed to carbon neutrality by 2030 in their Climate Emergency Declaration, while Sacramento’s Declaration led the city to commit to reducing emissions as much as possible by 2030.

That’s why Fridays For Future Sacramento, a local youth-led climate group, and the Sacramento Climate Coalition are demanding the following:

▪ Sacramento County declares a climate emergency with the intention of becoming carbon zero by 2030.

▪ One supervisor agrees to author a declaration and place it on the agenda of a meeting of the supervisors by Jan. 1, 2021.

Facing the climate crisis will not be easy. It will be uncomfortable and it will be an adjustment, but it is absolutely necessary. My generation has too much to gain and everything to lose.

This story was originally published September 24, 2020 at 5:00 AM.