The Youth Lobby held a Rally for the Planet: Day of Action on March 13. The Day of Action kicked off with a march to the State House, followed by speeches from youth leaders on the capitol steps, meetings with lawmakers, a press conference, and finally testimony in the House committee on Energy and Digital Infrastructure. Throughout the day, youth activists urged lawmakers to stay the course on climate action.
“We cannot allow Vermont to be a state that ignores the environment and climate. We cannot comply with these trends in the current federal government. We need to remain a brave little state that knows and acts upon what is best for Vermonters’ futures,” said Harmony Belle Devoe, 10th grader at Harwood Union.
“Keeping Vermont on track for our renewable goals was the right thing to do, not only for keeping Vermont accountable for its emissions but leading other states to do the same, creating a greater impact from those committed to a cleaner planet. This is vital to controlling the impact of climate change, as even though the United States has less than 5% of the world's population, it has contributed 20% of the world's total emissions,” said Lucy Badger, senior at Harwood Union High School.
“This year, the Global Warming Solutions Act has been threatened; the Governor's climate proposal introduced as House bill H.289 would gut the GWSA and remove the ability for Vermonters to hold the state accountable to take needed action on climate change. Instead, the Governor wants to spend resources and time making a new 'climate management plan’ when we already have the Climate Action Plan with hundreds of recommendations to increase Vermont's resilience, adaptation, and mitigation strategies,” said Everett Walke, Montpelier High School student.
“If action is taken to remove the existing climate legislation, the impact may not be felt today, tomorrow, or next year. Ultimately it is not our current legislators and leaders who will feel the impact, it is their grandchildren. As an inheritor of this beautiful state, I cannot stand by and allow choices to be made that will further worsen the already catastrophic damage we have caused to our planet. It is necessary that we take into account the future of our state, and not just our current pocketbook. The climate crisis is not something that we can put a Band-Aid on or shove aside to prioritize other issues, it must be at the forefront of our decision making now and going forward,” said Quincy Sabick, junior, at Vergennes Union High School.
“At VNRC, we believe in empowering and amplifying youth voices in the fight for a healthier, brighter future for all and were proud to partner with the Youth Lobby to put on this important event,” noted Evelyn Seidner, climate action organizer with Vermont Natural Resources Council. “We are energized and inspired by the youth activists that organized and participated in today’s event and will continue to work towards securing a brighter future for the youth of our state by defending Vermont’s climate commitments this legislative session.”
