Dear Zephyrus,

I am a student at Edina High School who is concerned with climate change and the drastic long term effects that it has on our community’s youth. Climate change is putting our students’ futures in jeopardy, so the more coverage you are able to give this topic, the more attention it will bring to what a monumental issue climate change is to our generation. Freshman representative Dean Phillips of Minnesota’ 3rd District, has made it clear he wants to see bold changes regarding carbon emissions. On the 9th grade trip to Washington D.C, I was able to meet and talk with Dean Phillips, along with other freshmen. Phillips informed us about a bill that would put a price tag on carbon emissions, forcing large corporations to take responsibility for the massive amount of fossil fuels they emit. On his website, Dean Phillips summarized his stance on climate change: “We didn’t leave the Stone Age because we ran out of rocks; rather, we discovered better ways of doing things. It’s the 21st century, and it’s time to accelerate our transition to a clean-energy economy, reduce our carbon footprint, and preserve and protect our planet for future generations” (Phillips). To end his talk, Phillips reminded us that youth have just as much power in our hands as Congress. Our activism is vital to go hand in hand with Congress to implement the policies we desire. I would love if Zephyrus wrote more about climate change which would then involve EHS in the fight against climate change. While it is important for any news platform to have a mix of opinions, I believe a viewpoint similar to Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez’s as well as Dean Phillips’ would be well accepted by other student like me within EHS. The freshman representative from New York and prominent contributor to the Green New Deal believes that we must center our economy around climate change. She explained, “To get us out of the situation, to revamp our economy, to create dignified jobs for working Americans, to guarantee health care and elevate our educational opportunities and attainment, we will have to mobilize our entire economy around saving ourselves and taking care off this planet” (Ocasio-Cortez). This perspective could be compared to America’s attitude towards war. The immediacy of climate change is a war with humankind, our government, and our planet that can’t be fought singularly at the federal level, and must be tackled at the local and individual level as well. As I conclude this letter, I urge you to take action within our school and adopt a more active role in informing our school and fighting against climate change’s devastating effects. After all, youth like us will bear the brunt of this issue in the coming years. Shouldn’t we be more informed of the world we will one day inherit?

Thanks,

Virginia Higgins, EHS freshman