Last weekend I was privileged to be part of the 2024 Youth Climate Conference at Madison College. This was the fourth annual climate conference of this kind and it was, as usual, amazing.
I write that I was “privileged” because this is easily one of the most inspiring things I do in my role at the Dane County Office of Energy & Climate Change. At the conference I get to watch some of our best and brightest young people building community and spurring each other to action. I see them asking thoughtful questions, conspiring with peers to make big things happen back at their own schools or municipalities and I see them pushing adults like me to do more faster to reduce emissions, because it is not fair that these youth will inherit our messes.
The conference is an outgrowth of some of the things that make Dane County special. To my knowledge we’re unique in that we have a Dane County Youth Environmental Committee (DCYEC). DCYEC is a youth-driven nonprofit made up of high school students from across the County. Over the last few years DCYEC has played a catalyst role in student activism around clean energy goals for school districts, youth representation on municipal sustainability committees and a variety of other issues.
The conference is organized by DCYEC members, a few UW-Madison students and faculty, a Madison College professor and a group of volunteer “elders”. The age gap between the youngest and oldest members of the organizing committee is about 60 years. Tasks and pairings vary by year but typically the elders deal with the boring logistics (food, money to pay for food) while youth lead the agenda, promote the event to their peers and moderate the entire event. The planning happens through monthly calls where this eclectic group becomes a team. (If you have interest in joining the team, let me know…we can always use more help).
The conference includes exhibits, youth presentations on their various environmental efforts, an interactive activity and a keynote. We had more than 150 youth attendees this year, a few coming from as far away as Amherst, Chippewa Falls, Evansville and Mauston, Wisconsin.
One of my favorite aspects of this year’s event was the keynote speaker, McKenna Dunbar. McKenna (they/them) is the Community Engagement Coordinator with the Virginia Sierra Club, working at the intersection of climate action, mental health and environmental justice. I first learned about McKenna and their work through one of our youth leaders (Natalie) who recommended McKenna for the keynote and then led efforts to prep McKenna for the keynote.
McKenna did an outstanding job talking about both the challenges and opportunities in front of the youth attendees. Specifically, McKenna referenced a German phrase, “Anfangen ist leicht, Beharren eine Kunst,” which translates to "Starting is easy, persistence is an art," which McKenna used to inspire youth to start and to persist in their leadership on climate action.
Starting is easy, persistence is an art. That is a timely message for all of us. Persistence is going to be increasingly important in the next few years. Staff here at OECC are committed to achieving our ambitious countywide climate action goals by 2030 and that will definitely require persistence. Youth want to see their school districts realize clean energy goals; that will take persistence too. In the last few years our nation has started to shift to a clean energy economy; staying on that path requires persistence from a variety of stakeholders. The good news is that public opinion is on our side—most Americans recognize that climate change is happening and want to see more government action. (According to the Yale Program on Climate Change Communications 66% of Americans think that developing clean energy sources should be a priority for the president and Congress and 72% think global warming is happening). We need to leverage that consensus as we persist in pursuing a clean energy economy where everyone has opportunities to thrive.
At the Youth Climate Summit I am always humbled by the attendees. These youth are well informed, articulate and full of innovative ideas—so much more mature and competent than I was at 16. That gives me hope but it also increases my sense of responsibility. My generation—not theirs—delayed action on the climate crisis. I aim to do all that I can to ensure that the world they inherit is headed in the right direction and I hope you will join us in those efforts. After all, this is Dane County.
Kathy is the Director of the Dane County’s Office of Energy and Climate Change. In that role she's leading efforts to implement the Climate Action Plan. Prior to coming to Dane County, Kathy led Cool Choices and, prior to that, she led Wisconsin's Focus on Energy program.
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