In 2019, a group of youngsters who knew that they would not get their first-time votes in the 2020 US Presidential election were fired up regarding climate change. The group included Anaheim resident climate change campaigner Arjun Marwaha, who was aged 17 years back then.
Marwaha argued that discussing climate change was important, as it stimulated awareness and discourse regarding solutions to it. Marwaha stated that humans getting too involved in all the politics would mean losing the whole essence of climate change, besides them losing their future with it. As for Marwaha, as human beings inherit the Earth, they would face the consequences of doing so.
Climate change resonated with people who would not be old enough to participate in the presidential election as voters. In May 2019, Columbus-Tustin Middle School had its second-yearly Climate Solutions Summit, which culminated research worth a school year to discover ways of composting, conserving water as well as eliminating plastic and cardboard lunch utensils use.
The connection between beach erosion and climate change was among the issues debated with thousands of inland students in Huntington Beach’s Kids Ocean Day event. The students learned environmental information, participated in beach cleaning, and took a group photograph during the event. The photograph showed the youths assembled to create a whale form that featured ‘Protect What You Love’, the slogan of that event.
As for Orange County Coast keeper’s Education Director Dyana Peña, it was the biggest-ever Kids Ocean Day. Peña also said that the slogan addressed what the event was about. According to Peña, the kids could seldom interact with the natural spaces back then, and when they got that opportunity, they would understand they could protect themselves and the reason for doing so.
Many urged politicians in Orange County and elsewhere in the nation to take note, as the kids would realize their voting power at some point.
