As a high schooler, I feel the urgency of the climate challenge with magnified intensity. At the recent Alaska Association of Student Governments convention, attended by hundreds of student leaders from across the state, my fellow student leaders made this declaration in unison. A resolution I sponsored, “Finding Common Ground on Climate Change Solutions,” passed with unanimous support — and for good reason.
For Alaska’s youth like me, finding common-sense and bipartisan climate solutions is a matter of protecting our future livelihoods and our state’s way-of-life. The solution we could all support — known as carbon rebates — is being advanced by a coalition of fishermen, resource development businesses, and conservation leaders. We believe it offers Alaska a promising pathway forward to address climate change. Moreover, a key part of the carbon rebate plan, known as a “pollution import fee,” would hold foreign polluters like China accountable for their emissions, while strengthening the American economy.
As the impacts of climate change intensify, I hope our elected officials and Alaska’s leaders, like Sens. Lisa Murkowski and Dan Sullivan, as well as Congresswoman Mary Peltola, will seek common ground on climate solutions. My generation is excited to participate in this forward-looking conversation, and a carbon rebate offers us the ideal place to start.
— Zoe Fencil
Student, South Anchorage High School
Anchorage
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