Wildfires are not the only environmental hazard affecting students today, of course. Research shows that climate change has disparate impacts on low-income communities, communities of color and other vulnerable populations, who are less likely to have the resources and capacity to prepare for and recover from extreme climate events and issues such as poor air and water quality.
Along with climate-related natural disasters, student and grassroots advocacy for climate change resiliency measures has increased in the last few years. These voices have bubbled upward to their elected board member representatives, a group of whom advocated for CSBA to take a public position on climate change. In response, the CSBA Board of Directors convened a Climate Change Task Force in recognition of the fact that changes to the global climate represent a threat to California’s students and schools.
Task force members were chosen from areas throughout the state that are experiencing climate change in different ways, from the aforementioned wildfires and smoke to air and water pollution in many lower-income communities. Sonoma County board member Gina Cuclis joined the task force to be both a voice for the North Bay Area and to bring the county perspective to the discussion.
When forming the idea for the task force, the CSBA Board of Directors felt it was important to have student voices represented. Task force member Sameera Hussain is a senior at Harmony Magnet Academy in Porterville Unified School District in the Academy of Engineering pathway. In 2019, she participated with a group of her classmates in the Energize Schools Energy Conservation Competition and won first place. Her team implemented a schoolwide sustainability campaign, educating students and staff on ways they could help reduce their school’s energy consumption, ultimately reducing energy usage by almost 25 percent.
“I think it is important to have a student representative on the Climate Change Task Force because this issue is one that greatly involves our youth,” said Hussain. “While the effects of climate change now are terrible, the younger generation is going to truly experience the worst of it. Because of this, climate change is an incredibly important issue for young people. They are passionate about it and determined to contribute in any way they can to secure their future. Enlisting the help of our students in California’s fight against climate change will help ensure our success.”
In the end, it’s critical to listen to students, said Cruz-Gonzalez. “I think the question that we have to ask ourselves is, are we, as the educational system, giving the space for students to lead on climate change issues?” she asked. “I think it’s great if we’re embedding information about climate change resiliency in curriculum and enrichment opportunities. But, more importantly, we need to think about how we, as leaders of school districts, are intentionally engaging students. We need to give them the space to educate us.”